About Me

Education

• Ph.D. in Imaging Science, Washington University in St.Louis, McKelvey School of Engineering, 2024 (August)
• M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Washington University in St.Louis, McKelvey School of Engineering, 2022
• M.A. in Biology and Biomedical Sciences (Neuroscience), Washington University in St.Louis, School of Medicine, 2018
• B.A. in Neuroscience and Applied Mathematics, Wesleyan College, 2016
  • Minors in Biology and Physics

Professional Development Workshops and Training

• Optica Career Accelerator - Workshop on core skills and expectations in the corporate environment, Jan 2024
• Neuromatch Academy - Virtual course on Deep Learning, July 2022
• Genetics & Neurobiology of Language - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, July 2018

Research experience

• Washington University in St.Louis, MO
  • Graduate Research Assistant (Aug 2016 - Present)
    • Conducted research on developing neuroimaging techniques to study the neural bases of effortful listening scenarios presented due to changes in the clarity or complexity of spoken language.
    • Managed neuroimaging (functional MRI and functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy) data collection, database management, and analysis of over 300 participants across four research protocols, including clinical populations with cochlear implants, and deep brain stimulators.
    • Collaborated with cross-departmental clinicians and faculty, resulting in seven peer-reviewed publications and conference proceedings on non-invasive brain imaging and its applications, while also engaging in two global projects focused on improving neuroimaging analysis reproducibility.
    • Designed naturalistic experimental paradigms to improve the ecological validity of neuroimaging experiments focused on capturing individual variability.
    • Led methodological advancements by establishing standard operating procedures for wearable precision tomography studies, enabling long-term imaging sessions integrated with sensors such as eye trackers, accelerometers, and photogrammetry for real-time data capture.
    • Authored a systematic literature review encompassing over 900 scientific papers on neuroimaging approaches in language mapping, highlighting expertise in synthesizing complex research findings.
    • Awarded a two-year NIH-T32 $80k fellowship for specialized training in Imaging Science
• Wesleyan College, GA
  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (Jan 2013 - May 2016)
    • Studied the effects of genetic factors in pattern learning in mice through a multi-week behavioral training regimen, resulting in two peer-reviewed publications and an honors thesis.
    • Supervised a team of research students on the upkeep and management of the vivarium.
    • Awarded full tuition and Valedictorian Scholarship in recognition of academic merit.
• University of Rochester, NY
  • Summer Research Intern (May 2015 - July 2015)
    • Studied the cortical circuitry underlying memory-guided sensory decision-making by carrying out computational analysis of electrophysiology data from macaques.
• Augusta University (previously Georgia Regents University), GA
  • Summer Research Intern (May 2014 - July 2014)
    • Studied the effects of organophosphates on axonal transport and neuronal plasticity in rodents using immunohistochemistry and protein assays.
    • Awarded the Ebad Hasan Memorial Award in recognition of social involvement and building camaraderie among fellow interns.

Skills

• Coding
  • MATLAB (Advanced), Python (Intermediate), R (Intermediate)
• Research Ethics
  • MRI Research Safety – Level II
  • Human Subjects Research training from CITI
  • Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training from CITI
• Languages
  • English (fluent), Nepali (native), Hindi (fluent), Japanese (beginner)

Service and leadership

• Treasurer, Spectra (SPIE and Optica Student Chapter) (2019 - 2020)
  • Managed financial responsibilities on event planning and grant submission.
• Student Government Executive, Wesleyan College (2012 - 2016)
  • As President, mobilized a 30-member senate under the platform of diversity and dialogue, culminating in a regional conference co-organized with 3 local universities.
  • As Treasurer, allocated funds to campus events and student conference travel.
  • As Cultural Diversity Chair, acted as a liaison between student groups to increase collaboration.
• Chapter President, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society (2013 - 2014)
  • As President, planned and organized fundraising events for student professional development activities.

Professional Memberships

• Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM)
• Optica
• International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE)
• Society for Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (SfNIRS)