I am Jesús D.
Currently I am pursing a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Florida 🐊.
I am studying the role of electrical epidural estimulation (EES) in restoring breathing functions after spinal cord injury. My main goal is to determine the effects of EES and develop computational models that will serve to understand and develop close loop stimulation paradigms.
Previously I have worked on:
- Evaluating the reliability of implantable electodes on the somatosensory cortex.
- Developing computational approaches to quantify biomarkers of diabetes
- Studing the development of the immune system in humans through the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program HubMap
- Investigating how the Prefrontal Cortex integrates exteroceptive and interoceptive stimuli and its effects in social behavior
I want to use Neuroscience as a map to develop better Brain/Spinal Computer Interfaces. I find the field of neuromorphic computing facinating, and see it as the next step for us to ensure more reliable communications with our Central Nervous System
I started as an Electrical & Computer engineer in Venezuela. My first big research project was building a device capable of detecting motorcycle accidents and requesting EMT support. This experience was important in my early career since it showed me the opportunities behind research and innovation.
I joined the Biomedical Engineering Master progam in 2017 at the University of Florida. As a graduate research assitant at Neuroprostheses Research Laboratory, Dr. Kevin Otto's Lab, I started to understand how we can use microelectrodes to transduce and restore sensory and motor functions through electrical stimulation. At the same time, I started developing computer vision algorithms to accelerate the detection of biomarkers in Diabetes under the training of Dr. Campbell-Thompson. After graduating from the M.S program, I moved to worked at UF Diabetes Institute under the project HubMap, where we investigated the developmental processes of the immune system in humans.
In 2019 I got admitted to the Neuroscience program at UF where I studied the fundamentals of neuroscience and how we can use modern technologies to understand how the CNS and PNS work. Currently I am working at Dr. Erica Dale Lab, we are studying how epidural electrical stimulation can be used to help patients that endure spinal cord injury.
My future goal is to become a lead scientist in the field of neuromorphic computing.
