Faculty
Philip Troyk, PhD

Philip Troyk
Principal investigator
Associate Dean – Armour College of Engineering
Professor – Department of Biomedical Engineering
- PhD Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago
- MS Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago
- BS Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Sungjae Suh, PhD

Sungjae Suh
Research associate
Dr. Suh’s research enables the development of implantable devices for the Intracortical Visual Prosthesis (ICVP) and packaging for other neural prosthesis. His current work focuses upon reliability assessment and failure analysis of implantable systems through environmental stress testing, to inform implanted life time prediction.
- PhD Metallurgical & Materials Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology
Current members
Gayatri Kaskhedikar

Gayatri Kaskhedikar
Postdoctoral research associate
Gayatri’s current research is focused on the development of phosphene mapping techniques for cortical implant recipients under the guidance of Dr. Gislin Dagnelie at Johns Hopkins University. As a Masters’ student, she was a research assistant in the Neuro-rehab lab (Advisor, Dr. Walter Besio) and developed an EMG-electrode multiplexer for a FES system to be used in the rehabilitation of hemiplegic patients. She has also worked as a research technologist at the Martinos Imaging center in MGH, Boston.
- PhD Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology (2017)
- MS Biomedical Engineering, Louisiana Tech University (2007)
- BE Electronics and Instrumentation, University of Madras (2004)
Publications: [1] [2]
Omar Tawakol

Omar Tawakol
PhD candidate
Omar is interested in developing a stable wireless intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS) system as a means of restoring standing and stepping for individuals with spinal cord injury. As an undergraduate, Omar designed a high-speed surgical implantation device for the purpose of safely inserting microelectrode arrays in cortical tissue.
- BS Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology (2018)
Publications: [3]
Selected alumni
Samuel Bredeson

Sam Bredeson
Thesis: Assessing the biological reaction to implantation of peripheral nerve electrode interface devices
As an undergraduate at Michigan Tech, Sam worked as a research assistant in the Biosensors Laboratory on projects involving sensors based on magnetoelastic materials. His graduate research was on the development and testing of implantable electrode systems for chronic use, particularly for peripheral nerve applications.
- PhD Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology (2018)
- BS Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University (2011)
Publications: [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Alexander Rush

Alex Rush
Thesis: Getting Rid of the Wires: A Transcutaneous Power and Wideband Telemetry System for Multi-Channel Neural Recording Implants
Alexander’s ground-breaking research work involved the design of mixed-signal circuits and inductive links for neural prosthetic applications. In collaboration with engineers at Sigenics, Inc., he demonstrated his novel technology through the design and fabrication of an implantable wideband 16-channel neural sensing system for cortical neural recording.
- PhD Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology (2012)
- BS Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2006)
Zhe Hu

Zhe Hu
Thesis: Characterization of AIROF Stimulating Microelectrodes
Hu’s novel research work, performed in collaboration with Dr. Stuart Cogan (formerly of EIC Laboratories, now at the University of Texas at Dallas) furthered the understanding of how to use Activated Iridium Oxide Film (AIROF) electrodes for neural stimulation. His work revealed the disparity between in-vitro and in-vivo charge injection capabilities of AIROF electrodes for cortical applications.
- PhD Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology (2008)
Nishant Srivastava
Thesis: First Generation Intracortical Visual Prosthesis Image Capture and Processing System
Nishant’s developmental research work produced a first generation image processing system for the Intracortical Visual Prothesis (ICVP) to process images captured by a camera and communicate with the implantable simulator. While performing experiments at Johns Hopkins University, under the guidance of Dr. Gislin Dagnelie, he reported some of the first results from psychophysical testing of sighted subjects to predict the performance of an ICVP system in an individual with blindness.
- PhD Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology (2007)