We are pleased to announce that Dr. Aysegul Gunduz, an assistant professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, has received a 2016 National Science Foundation Career Award.
The NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research.
Gunduz and her team are working towards delivering deep brain stimulation (DBS) on demand for the treatment of neurological disorders. The overall research goal is to study the electrophysiological underpinnings of neurological disorders using next generation DBS devices capable of recording brain signals in humans and to responsively deliver stimulation to the current pathological state of the brain. To this end, Gunduz is investigating the neurophysiology of Tourette syndrome, which affects an estimated 3-9 in every 1,000 children. She aims to develop responsive DBS systems for improved and targeted treatment in humans. Responsive DBS is expected to provide improved symptom suppression, reduce adverse effects of continuous stimulation and prolong the battery life of DBS implants. This project will also provide students in Gunduz’s lab with an environment that promotes learning in the design of neural engineering systems, data collection in clinical settings and analysis of large-scale datasets. All of these skills are critical to the development of translational medicine applications for those suffering from disabilities, and to the education of the next generation of biomedical engineers. Gunduz also aims to increase interest and engagement in STEM at the undergraduate level through industry sponsored projects, and at the K-12 level through hands-on learning experiences by dissemination of affordable neuroamplifier kits and learning modules to schools with underprivileged and underrepresented Florida youth.
Congratulations, Dr. Gunduz!