Akshay Sujatha Ravindran

Biosketch

I am a doctoral candidate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Houston. Under the supervision of Dr. Jose Contreras Vidal, I work in the Non-Invasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Lab (BRAIN Center). I am a science enthusiast fascinated by how our human body manages the sophisticated behavior and capabilities so effortlessly. My research focuses on developing different engineering tools for analyzing non-invasive electrophysiological data. My expertise lies in developing deep learning models to study the EEG, with an emphasis on explainability of such models. Even though most of my research currently uses deep learning models, I strongly believe that many questions are best answered by classical signal processing and machine learning approaches and one should be open to the values in both.





In the UHBMI lab, I was fortunate to have the experience of working in a diverse portfolio of projects covering areas such as:
a) Brain-computer interface systems using EEG: i) predicting balance perturbation, ii) decoding lower limb kinematics, and iii) decoding hand motor imagery.
b) Exploring the feasibility of studying the brain in real-world settings (using museums and public venues as a laboratory).
c) Changes in EEG associated meditation practice.
d) Developing synergistic activities/projects between arts and science to promote interdisciplinary research opportunities while also serving as outreach activities in STEM.
e) Point process characterization of heartbeat dynamics measured using Photoplethysmography


Before joining the University of Houston for my doctoral studies, I worked at Health Technology Innovation Center at the IIT Madras, India as a Research Intern for a year. During that time I worked on developing wearable vital signal monitoring devices. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the TKM College of Engineering, University of Kerala, India in 2015.

What are my values and hobbies

Outside of research, I value teaching and mentoring significantly and I find satisfaction the most when I get to help someone advance their career and dreams. I feel very blessed and happy to be in a profession that provides incentives for lifelong learning and offers great flexibility to pursue things that spark your curiosity and interest. Outside of work, I love to travel, spend quality time in nature, meditate, play and watch soccer (huge arsenal fan since 2006), do yoga, go for casual walks/biking and most importantly I am a huge foodie! I love to engage in conversations and activities related to spirituality, interoception for health and wellbeing, developing a growth mindset, and overcoming failures/challenges.