People | SPEECH NEUROENGINEERING and CYBERNETICS LAB

Principal Investigator

Lee M. Miller

Professor – Dept. of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior Professor – Dept. of Otolaryngology | Head and Neck Surgery

Technical Director: UC Davis Center for Mind & Brain

UC Davis

leemiller@ucdavis.edu : (530) 297-4474

Lee Miller received his doctorate in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley. His academic training includes quantum physics, single-cell neurophysiology, and cognitive neuroscience. He is a Professor at UC Davis in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior and the Department of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery. He serves as Technical Director of the UC Davis Center for Mind & Brain, where his lab investigates the neural bases of communication. His neuroengineering research uses techniques such as EEG, functional MRI, and machine learning to translate fundamental scientific results into real-world solutions for people with hearing loss, speech disorders, and motor impairments.

Graduate Students

	Brett Bormann Brett is a Neuroscience PhD Candidate who is studying the neural mechanisms behind auditory attention and how those may differ in people with ADHD. In addition he is a part of a team creating a rapid brain-based diagnostic tool to better identify hearing loss using machine learning trained on clinical, behavioral, & neurological (EEG) data. When not in lab, he enjoys riding his bike along with spending time relaxing at home reading and watching movies with his cats.
	Suvi Varshney (jointly with Prof. Sergey Stavisky and Dr. David Brandman). Suvi is an MS Computer Science student. His research interests lie in the amalgamation of Computer Vision and Natural Language Processing, specifically in smart personal assistants. At the Neuroprosthetics Lab and the Miller lab, he is working on automated metrics for assessing neurally-synthesized speech quality.
	Tanya Matyushkina (member of Prof. David Corina’s lab). Tanya is a graduate student in Psychology, broadly interested in speech perception. Her current project is dedicated to investigation of effects of cross-modal plasticity on speech perception in children with cochlear implants.
	Naresh Kaushal I am an MS in Computer Science student with a strong passion for leveraging cutting-edge technology to advance healthcare. My research focus revolves around the intersection of machine learning and signal processing within the medical domain. Currently at Miller Lab I am actively engaged in a pioneering project aimed at the restoration of speech communication. This endeavor harnesses the power of sEMG signals and a state-of-the-art multimodal decoder-synthesizer, marking my contribution to the exciting frontier of assistive technologies in healthcare.
	Ada Kanapskytė Ada is a Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group PhD Student interested in the interface between humans and robotic devices, specifically human learning, behavior, and performance. In her free time, Ada can be found biking/running/walking around Davis with her energetic pup, partaking in STEM outreach, or if it’s summer – gardening!
	Harsha Gowda Harshavardhana is a PhD student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. He is interested in learning the inherent mathematical structures of biosignals. His current work includes designing algorithms to translate hand gestures into computer controls and to translate facial motions into speech using surface electromyogram signals. He is also developing an AI Listener to analyze acoustic, semantic, and lexical patterns of speech and act as a reinforcement to algorithms that generate speech using signals from the brain’s speech cortex or facial muscles. In pursuit of these problems, he is focusing on multivariate time series analysis on Riemannian manifolds and computational linguistics.

Postdoctoral Scholars

Daniel Comstock
Daniel earned his PhD in Cognitive and Information Sciences from the University of California – Merced, and his Bachelors in Cognitive Science from the University of Wisconsin – Stout. He is broadly interested in the role of higher cognitive systems in auditory and visual perception, the neural mechanisms of timing, and EEG data processing and analysis methods. His previous work includes investigations into the role of the motor system in auditory and visual rhythm cognition and timing, the role of the motor system in audiovisual speech integration, and the effects of repetitive non-concussive head-impacts on neural processing.

Research Assistants

	Karim Abou Najm Karim was an undergraduate double majoring in Computer Science and Cognitive Science, and minoring in Mathematics. He was a passionate student working towards an understanding of the brain and pushing the boundaries of what can be done with it through augmentation. This interest extended computationally to learning and emulating the mind, and neurologically to the biological interface on multiple levels. Outside of class, Karim enjoyed writing, usually composing creative pieces and critically reviewing novels.
	Zach McNaughton Zach is an undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive Science. His interests lie in the neural mechanisms of learning and brain plasticity. After graduation he plans to pursue a PhD in neuroscience, hoping to study novel therapeutic techniques for mental health disorders, such as PTSD and substance abuse disorders. Outside of lab, he likes to spend time reading, playing sports, and spending time with friends and family.
	Tyler Statema Tyler is an undergraduate transfer student majoring in Psychology with a quantitative focus. He is interested in all things cognitive neuroscience, especially ERP methods and incorporating neural measures into statistical models in order to predict real-world outcomes. In his free time Tyler likes to ride his bike and watch YouTube!
	Sana Shehabi Sana is an undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive Neuroscience and Applied Statistics. She is interested in using electrophysiological methods to study how individual differences in cognition affect auditory and visual attention. She wants to get her PhD in Cognitive Science where she would like to research the neural mechanisms of visual and spatial attention. In her free time she likes playing tennis, playing with her cats, and eating at taco bell.
	Nina Wade Nina is an undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive Science on the Neuroscience emphasis with intended minors in Philosophy and Public Health Sciences. Her interests lie in the neural and behavioral mechanisms of perception, cognition and brain plasticity, as well as the ways in which our genetics, neurobiology and experiences interact. In the future, she hopes to attend medical school or graduate school for neuroscience. Nina enjoys traveling with family, spending time with animals (including dogs and horses) and reading in her free time.
	Reina Itakura Reina is an undergraduate Computer Science and Mathematics major at UC Davis. She is currently interested in CS theory and combinatorics but also enjoys assembly. In her free time she likes to dance (ballet and bachata), read books, and practice programming on codeforces.
	Neha Kaul Neha is an undergraduate student studying cognitive neuroscience. She seeks to understand the neural mechanisms underlying behavior and the impacts of brain damage on personality and thought patterns. After graduation, Neha plans to attend graduate school for neuropsychology or neuroscience. Outside of lab, she enjoys reading, baking, spending time with friends, and watching TV shows.
	Safa Amer I am an undergraduate student double majoring in Neurobiology and Psychology. I am interested in researching sensory perception and brain function through brain imaging and noninvasive stimulation. I plan to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience or Psychology after graduation. Outside of the lab, I enjoy reading, watching shows and movies, playing sports, and hanging out with friends and family.
	Sophie Burstein Sophie is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive Science with a Neuroscience emphasis and a minor in Jewish Studies. She is interested in all aspects of cognition, particularly the intersection between hearing loss and cognitive function and potential clinical applications. After graduation, she plans to work in the health sector and apply to medical school. In her free time she enjoys traveling, spending time with her sisters and nephews, social events with friends, and watching her favorite comfort TV shows.
	Audrey Vargas Audrey is an undergraduate student majoring in Biological Sciences and Psychology. She is interested in researching higher-order cognitive functions with an emphasis on neurodivergence and its clinical psychological applications. After graduation, she plans to gain in-field experience and later pursue higher education in clinical or developmental psychology. Outside of her research, she enjoys scavenging record stores for physical copies of her favorite albums, drawing and painting, reading, spending time with friends and family, and attending any and all live music events.
	Ferdous Rahimi Ferdous is an undergraduate student majoring in Biological Sciences at UC Davis. He is interested in studying the neural responses to various auditory stimuli and understanding the cognitive processes involved in speech perception. Ferdous aspires to attend medical school and pursue a career in a neural specialty, such as Neurology, Neurophysiology, or Neurosurgery. Outside the lab, he enjoys spending time with family, reading, and hiking.

Collaborators

	Kelsey Mankel Asst. Professor Univ. of Memphis, Institute for Intelligent Systems & School for Communication Sciences & Disorders
	Sergey Stavisky Asst. Professor of Neurological Surgery- UC Davis
	Dr. David Brandman Asst. Professor of Neurological Surgery- UC Davis
	Dr. Hilary Brodie Professor of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery – UC Davis
	Dr. Doron Sagiv Asst. Professor of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery – UC Davis
	Gregg Recanzone Professor of Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior – UC Davis
	Wilsaan Joiner Professor in Dept. of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and Dept. of Neurology – UC Davis
	Jonathan Schofield Asst. Professor in Dept. of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering – UC Davis
	Elana Zion-Golumbic Professor, Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University
	Sanjay Joshi Professor of Engineering – Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering – UC Davis
	David Corina Prof. of Linguistics – Center for Mind & Brain, UC Davis
	Kristina Backer Assistant Professor – UC Merced
	Antoine (Tony) Shahin Assoc. Research Professor – UC Merced

Alumni


Tiana Smith	Sarah Yuniar

Alicia Dye	Ashley Bilbrey	Aman Ganapathy

Jessica Cai	Kelsey Mankel	Elyse Ehlert

Jan Truong	Ian Chuang	Nandhini Sridhar

Akshita Sharma	Ralph Shehayed	Britt Yazel

Yinuo Qin	Luis El Srouji	Sonja Swanson

Matthew Stickle	Niranjana Jayakrishnan	Aashir Farooqi

Markham Anderson	Deepak Yadav	Fernando Espinosa-Iniguez

Nathaniel Guteirrez	Sam London	Bartlett Moore

Kristina Backer	Tom Campbell	Kevin Hill

Andrew Kessler	Jess Kerlin	Christopher Bishop