Research 

How does the brain enable such a wide range of behaviors – from juggling to smartphone tapping? I am interested in the possibility that the brain can self-adjust according to the daily behavioural demands. To explore this idea, I combine the study of smartphone behaviour with systems level neurosciences and have begun to unravel the principles of brain functions in the digital world. 
Building-up the neuronal understanding of digital behaviour shall profoundly impact how we care and manage mental health. To accelerate this societal change, I collaborate with clinical and translational researchers to develop new tools that can provide health-related insights based on the day-to-day activities captured on the phone. 
My research also resulted in a new spin-off focused on collecting and processing digital behaviour on the smartphone for commercial exploitation – QuantActions, Switzerland. 

Background

BS (Neuroscience) Trinity College, CT, USA
PhD (Neuroscience) Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland 
Prior to focusing on the area of Neuroscience & Digital Behavior, I have contributed to the fields of Spinal Cord Injury, Movement Sciences and Translational Medicine. My work has been recognized by various grants & awards including the ETH-Medal and the Society-in-Science Branco Weiss Fellowship. I have been fortunate to have had visionary mentors from across disciplines who cared for me and my work, Philip Knauf (University of Rochester, NY), Nihal de Lanerolle (Yale University, CT), Martin Schwab & Kevan Martin (University of Zurich and ETH) and Patrick Haggard (University College London). 

Select publications 

1. The details of past actions on a smartphone touchscreen are reflected by intrinsic sensorimotor dynamics. npj Digital Medicine (2017)
2. Use-dependent cortical processing from fingertips in touchscreen phone users. Current Biology (2015)
3. Using voluntary motor commands to inhibit involuntary arm movements. Proceedings B (2014)
4. Rewiring of hindlimb corticospinal neurons after spinal cord injury. Nature Neuroscience (2010)

Publications