People

Chad Hales, MD/PhD

(2009-present)

In-vitro models of Alzheimers Disease, Co-advised by Jim Lah, Emory Neurology

Thomas B. DeMarse, PhD

(1999-2003)
Developed 1st neurally-controlled animat.
B.S., Psychology, Michigan State University '90
M.S., Learning & Memory, Purdue University '92
PhD, Learning & Memory, Purdue University '96. Now faculty at U. of Florida, Gainsville

Mark Booth, PhD

(2003-2005)
PhD, Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, '03

Building of multiphoton microscope

Now with Axis Reinsurance

Axel Blau, PhD

(1999-2002)
Optimized signals from voltage-sensitive dyes

Now at the Italian Institute of Technology

Jon Newman

(2007-present)

Biomedical Engineering PhD student, Hybrid Neural Microsystems IGERT NSF Fellow

Information coding in neuronal networks. See Jon's Research Page

Ming-fai Fong

(2009-Present)

Emory Neuroscience PhD student, Hybrid Neural Microsystems NSF Fellow, co-advised by Peter Wenner, Emory Physiology

Homeostasis in developing neuronal networks

Michelle Kuykendal

(2006-present)

Biomedical Engineering PhD student, Hybrid Neural Microsystems IGERT NSF Fellow, co-advised by Steve Potter, Martha Grover and Steve DeWeerth

Mechanisms of electrical stimulation of neural circuits

Sharanya Arcot Desai

(2008-present)

Bioengineering PhD student

Electrical stimulation therapy for epilepsy, in collaboration with Dr. Robert Gross, Emory Neurosurgery

Riley Zeller-Townson

(2009-present)

Bioengineering PhD student

Controlling electric power systems using neuronal networks. COPN project

Robert Ortman

(2008-present)

Electrical & Computer Engineering PhD student, NSF IGERT Fellow, co-advised by Chris Rozell

Biologically Inspired Artificial Neural Networks (BIANNs), COPN project

Neal Laxpati

(2009-present)

GT/Emory Biomedical Engineering PhD and Emory University School of Medicine MD programs, co-advised by Bob Gross, Emory Neurosurgery

Optogenetics for brain stimulation

Gareth Guvanasen

(2009-present)

Electrical & Computer Engineering PhD student, co-advised by Steve DeWeerth

COPN project, Mechanisms of electrical stimulation of neural circuits

John Rolston

(MD/PhD 2004-2009)

Emory School of Medicine and Emory Neuroscience PhD program

Electrical treatment of epilepsy in an animal model; Development of neural interfacing hardware and software (NeuroRighter)

jrolston at neuro.gatech.edu

Nathan Killian

(2007-present)

BME PhD program

NSF-IGERT Fellow, co-advised by Elizabeth Buffalo, Emory Neurology

Neural oscillations and memory mechanisms in the entorhinal cortex

Daniel Wagenaar

PhD in Physics, Caltech, 2000-2005
Studied the development and control of bursting in neocortical cultures. Developed MEABench, a data acquisition package that allows real-time bidirectional communication with cultures growing on multielectrode arrays.

Currently Research Faculty and Broad Senior Research Fellow, Caltech Division of Biology

Radhika Madhavan
Interested in studying plasticity and effects of bursting on network activity
Bioengineering PhD, 2002-2007 at Georgia Tech

Now PostDoctoral Fellow in Upi Bhalla's lab,
National Center of Biological Sciences
Bangalore, India
radhikam at ncbs.res.in

Zenas Chen-Hwai Chao

Bioengineering PhD 2001-2007 at Georgia Tech

Used modeling/simulation of, and experimentation on, living cortical networks to investigate goal-directed learning and information processing.

Now postdoctoral research scientist in the Laboratory for Adaptive Intelligence, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, and RIKEN BSI- TOYOTA Collaboration Center, Japan
zenas.c.chao at gmail.com

Douglas Bakkum

Bioengineering PhD 2002-2008 at Georgia Tech

Embodied cultured neurons to study the importance of environment in the processes of neural networks. MEART, the Semi-Living Artist

Now postdoc at University of Tokyo with Hirokazu Takahashi
djbakkum at gmail.com

Komal Rambani

Masters in Bioengineering at Georgia Tech, 2003-2007

Built 2-photon microscope. Developed long-term thick organotypic cortical slice cultures technique.

Now Research Scientist with Marc Kirschner at Harvard

komal.rambani at gmail.com

Alec Shkolnik

Emory dual BS/MS in CS/Math, 2004

Thesis: Neurally controlled simulated robot: applying cultured neurons to handle an approach / avoidance task in real time, and a framework for studying learning in vitro

Now PhD student in Brain & Cognitive Science, MIT

Natalia Lukina

2-photon microscopy

Masters studednt at Caltech

Now IT consultant in Boston

Nikhilesh Natraj

2-photon microscope programmer

Computer Science Masters student at Georgia Tech

Peter Passaro

Microscopy and perfusion systems

Now a Research Officer at U. of Sussex, UK

P.A.Passaro at sussex.ac.uk

Elizabeth A. Buffalo, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine and Yerkes National Primate Research Center

Christopher J. Rozell

Assistant Professor, Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Laboratory for Neuroengineering

Peter Wenner, PhD

Assistant Professor of Physiology, Emory University School of Medicine

James J. Lah, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine

Martha Grover, PhD

Associate Professor, Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Robert E. Gross, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine

Director, Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and Epilepsy Surgery

Director, Laboratory for Neural Repair

Phil Gamblen & Guy Ben-Ary, Artists

SymbioticA

University of Western Australia, School of Anatomy and Human
Biology

MEART and Silent Barrage projects

Aaron Morris

BME (2009-present)

Improvement of electrode impedance by sonicoplating

Pranav Mahadevan

Emory University (2010-present)

Yixiao Zou

Interested in studying network plasticity using multiphoton microscopy.

gth805w at mail.gatech.edu

Chu Yi

Interested in studying the chemistry of the brain, and the chemical reward mechanisms in embodied cultured networks.

chu at gatech.edu

Blythe Towal
Optical Recording
Georgia Tech BS, 2004

Now PhD student at Northwestern U. in Mitra Hartmann's lab

b-towal at northwestern.edu

Ryan Haynes
Studied chemical reward mechanisms in embodied cultured networks
Georgia Tech BME BS 2006

Now NIH-Oxford-Cambridge PhD Scholar

bond007mrh at yahoo.com

Bhavesh Mehta

Biomedical Engineering BS with a NeuroEngineeing concentration, 2006

Now a PhD student at Duke

Santiago Archila
Georgia Tech BME BS 2006

Now PhD student in Neuroscience at Emory University

John Brumfield

BS in BME from Georgia Tech, 2006

Bobby Thompson

BS in BME from Georgia Tech, 2006

Matthew MacDougall
Chemical neuromodulation of cortical cultures
Emory BS 2003

Now MD/PhD at USC/Caltech

matthew.macdougall at usc.edu

Mike Atkin
Recently graduated from Caltech, traveled the world on a Watson Fellowship. Mike did LabView and MatLab programming for our neural interface hardware, and developed data analysis tools.
atkin at ugcs.caltech.edu

Gray Rybka
Created the first instantiation of the Neurally Controlled Animat, developed a number of tools for visualizing and analyzing multielectrode neural recordings.

Sam Thompson
Helped port the Quake engine to be an Animat environment; Real-time hardware programming.

Will Findley
2-photon imaging of MEA cultures

Miro Dudik
Analysis of MEA data using Caltech's supercomputers

Alex Kohl
Now PhD student in Integrative Neuroscience at Rutgers U.

akohl at pegasus.rutgers.edu

Alexandra Elbakyan

Summer 2010

Programming and data analysis

Douglas Swehla

Info Manager and Computer guy, now Lab Manager in the Bellamkonda Lab.

douglas.swehla at gmail.com

Sarah Towns
Interested in using MEAs as a means of restoring function and sensation to amputees. B.S. Electrical Engineering, University of Michigan '04

Now PhD student at U. of Utah BME
sarah at ubasics.com

Pooja Bhatia
Information Manager
M.S, Computer Science,
Georgia State University 2003
B.C.E.,Pune University 2001

Now with Convergys Consulting & Professional Services

pooja.bhatia at convergys.com

Dustin Romine, M. A.

B.A., Psychology, DePauw University '99
Now Licensing Coordinator at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center,
Office of Technology Commercialization dromine at mdanderson. org

Sheri McKinney
Cell Culture

(Pine lab, Lester lab at Caltech)

mckinney at caltech.edu

Yan Wu
Multi-photon Microscopy

(Fraser Lab)

Kevin Lindsay

BME undergrad, Mercer University

Summer 2010

Christopher McDonald

Science Teacher, Whitefield Academy

Summer 2010

2-photon microscope electronics design

Wen-Hui Tan

MIT undergrad

BRAIN Intern, Summer 2007

Eleanor Ory

Smith College undergrad

BRAIN Intern, Summer 2005

John Slack, Decatur High School

Institute On Neuroscience (ION) Intern, Summer 2008

Chris Grubb

Rose-Hulman Inst. of Technology undergrad

BRAIN Intern, Summer 2005

Andrew Barajas
Voltage-sensitive dye screening

Scott E. Fraser Professor of Biology

Jerome Pine Professor of Physics