I grew up in India, where I completed my bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering at Andhra University. I then moved to the United States for graduate school, where my doctoral research focused on developing physiological signal processing and machine learning algorithms for human-machine interface applications aimed at improving the lives of individuals with disabilities and/or chronic conditions. Working with my Ph.D. advisor, Dr. Lalit Gupta at Southern Illinois University, and my postdoctoral advisor, Dr. Dennis Molfese at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I became passionate about studying the brain. This interest was particularly sparked by their work on identifying newborns at risk of developing dyslexia through noninvasive scalp event-related potential (ERP) signals shortly after birth.

Throughout my multidisciplinary career journey, I have been fortunate to receive motivation and support from several mentors, including Drs. Lalit Gupta (Southern Illinois University, Carbondale), Dennis Molfese (University of Nebraska, Lincoln), Judy Burnfield (Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals), R. B. Govindan and Adre du Plessis (Children’s National Hospital), Brad Lega and Lina F. Chalak (UT Southwestern Medical Center), and Morteza Khalegimeybodi (Meta Reality Labs).