Sri Sarma
Sridevi Sarma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1972 (age 51–52) |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cornell University |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering Department of Biomedical Engineering |
| Thesis | Finite-rate control : stability and performance (2006) |
| Academic advisors | Munther A. Dahleh Emery Brown |
| Website | sarmalab |
Sridevi Sarma (born 1972) is an American biomedical and electrical engineer known for her work in applying control theory to improve therapies for neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. She is vice dean for graduate education of the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, associate director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Computational Medicine, and an associate professor in the Johns Hopkins Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Early life and education[edit]
Sarma did her undergraduate studies at Cornell University where she received a BS in Electrical Engineering in 1994. She received her SM and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1997 and 2006.[1] From 2000 to 2003 she took a leave of absence to start a data analytics company. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Science from 2006 to 2009.[2]
Research[edit]
Sarma joined the Johns Hopkins Department of Biomedical Engineering as a professor in 2009.[3] She was appointed as associate director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Computational Medicine in 2017, and vice dean of graduate education for the JHU Whiting School of Engineering in 2019.[4][3] She is best known for her research combining learning theory and control systems with neuroscience to create translational work aimed at improving therapies for neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD) and epilepsy.[5]
Sarma’s early work focused on improving therapies for PD. Sarma’s research team developed the first computational model of the motor network under PD conditions, aimed at studying the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy as a method of PD treatment.[6] Through their research, they also discovered that high-frequency DBS restores pathological network dynamics in the brain, contrary to the prevailing belief that it blocks abnormal activity.[7]
Sarma’s current research into epilepsy focuses on the development of advanced computational tools to improve the diagnosis and treatment of epileptic seizures. Her most notable contribution is the creation of EZTrack, a tool designed to accurately identify epileptogenic zones (EZ) in the brain using electroencephalogram (EEG) data.[6][8] This work is aimed at enhancing the precision of surgical interventions for epilepsy patients, while also contributing to a broader understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying epilepsy.
Sarma also serves on the International Workshop Statistical Analysis of Neuronal Data Committee, has served as associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation, and was the editor of a 2017 special issue of the Journal of Computational Neuroscience.[6]
Sarma has participated in the National Geographic TV series, Brain Games.[9]
Entrepreneurship[edit]
Sarma serves as President and CEO of Neurologic Solutions, where she is commercializing her work on EZTrack and developing further EEG Analytics tools.[10] In addition to EZTrack, she is also developing EpiScalp, a software analytics tool providing a risk score to diagnose new seizure onset cases.[11]
Sarma is also the executive director of Neurotech Harbor, a technology accelerator focused on advancing the development of medical devices that diagnose, treat, and manage neurological disorders. The accelerator selects high-risk, high-potential projects addressing neurological conditions, and specifically targets equitable and accessible technology solutions.[12] The initiative is part of the National Institutes of Health’s Blueprint MedTech: Incubator Hubs program, and was founded as a partnership between Johns Hopkins University and Howard University.[13]
Awards and honors[edit]
- L'Oreal For Women in Science fellow (2008)[14]
- National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2011)[15]
- Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2012)[6]
- North American Neuromodulation Society Krishna Kumar New Investigator Award (2014)[6]
- Whiting School of Engineering Robert B. Pond Excellence in Teaching Award (2015)[6]
- GE Faculty for the Future Research Fellowship[16]
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund Careers at the Scientific Interface Award[16]
- NIH Outstanding Investigator Award (2023)[17]
References[edit]
- ^ "Sridevi Sarma, MIT PhD '06 | MIT EECS". www.eecs.mit.edu. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
- ^ "Sridevi V. Sarma, Ph.D., S.M., Joint Appointment in Neurology". Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- ^ a b "Sridevi Sarma Named WSE's Vice Dean for Graduate Education". Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- ^ "BME's Sridevi Sarma Appointed Associate Director of Institute for Computational Medicine". Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- ^ "Sri Sarma | World Science Festival". World Science Festival. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
- ^ a b c d e f "Sridevi Sarma". Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- ^ Santaniello, Sabato; McCarthy, Michelle M.; Montgomery, Erwin B.; Gale, John T.; Kopell, Nancy; Sarma, Sridevi V. (2015-02-10). "Therapeutic mechanisms of high-frequency stimulation in Parkinson's disease and neural restoration via loop-based reinforcement". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 112 (6): E586–E595. doi:10.1073/pnas.1406549111. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 4330724. PMID 25624501.
- ^ "EZTrack – Neurologic Solutions Inc". Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Brain Games DIY: The Cup and Knife Game, archived from the original on March 17, 2015, retrieved 2017-11-03
- ^ "About – Neurologic Solutions Inc". Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "EpiScalp – Neurologic Solutions Inc". Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "JH – Howard – NeuroTech Harbor". Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Sept 27, Jill Rosen / Published; 2022 (2022-09-27). "Johns Hopkins, Howard University partner to develop tech for neuro disorders". The Hub. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Changing the Face of STEM". L'Oréal. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- ^ "JHU – Institute for Computational Medicine | Sri Sarma recipient of CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation". icm.jhu.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- ^ a b "Sridevi Sarma". Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- ^ "Sri Sarma receives NIH Outstanding Investigator Award". Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering. Retrieved 2024-06-09.