Photobiomodulation Researcher

Alicia Mathew

PhD Candidate in Medical Biophysics | University of Toronto

Hello! :) 👋🏽 I graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Mathematics in Computational Math 🤖 & minors in Computing and Psychology! 🧠. During my undergraduate degree, I've discovered a deep passion for brain health and have been researching new ways we can employ tech to improve and better care for our brains :) I love investigating new therapies that combine computational and neuroscientific methods to enhance our understanding of our brains and improve overall cognition. 📈 I'm currently working on a photobiomodulation research project 👩🏽‍🔬 at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute in Toronto!

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Experience

Professional journey and timeline

Research Assistant / Data Engineer

Current
Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest (Cranium Lab)
Sep 2023 - Present
North York, ON, Canada - University of Toronto
  • •Leading the EEG component of a transcranial and intranasal photobiomodulation (PBM) project, studying the influence of this non-invasive low-level light therapy on the power and complexity of EEG frequency bands in principle brain regions as a potential therapy for neurodegenerative disease symptoms.
  • •Building and managing in-house spectral power and entropy analysis workflows using EEGLAB, MATLAB, and Bash to transform raw neural signals into isolated frequency bands and study the temporal dynamics of EEG responses.
  • •Developing statistical analysis infrastructure integrating spatial clustering algorithms and correlation-based electrode grouping to identify significant neural responses across dense electrode arrays through permutation testing.
  • •Implementing linear mixed effects models to quantify the effect of key stimulation parameters (wavelength, frequency, irradiance) and individual biological factors (sex, skin tone) on region- and band-specific neural responses, enabling data-driven optimization of brain PBM parameters in collaboration with Vielight Inc., with findings submitted in two first-author publications.
EEGMATLABEEGLABPhotobiomodulationStatistical AnalysisData Engineering

Research Assistant

Face Processing & Social Cognition Lab
May 2023 - Aug 2023
Waterloo, ON, Canada - University of Waterloo
  • •Managed multi-modal data collection (EEG, eye-tracking, emotion-based responses) across participants to analyze Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) used in processing facial features.
  • •Developed and optimized EEG data processing pipelines using EEGLAB and MATLAB for channel filtering, artifact rejection, epoch extraction, and ICA decomposition, integrating the LIMO toolbox for statistically identifying key ERP components (N170, P300) associated with perceiving and distinguishing emotions.
EEGERPsMATLABEEGLABEye-trackingData Collection

Full-Stack Developer

Woodbridge
Jan 2022 - Apr 2022
Mississauga, ON, Canada
  • •Developed a full-stack web application using Flask, React, and Python that streamlined chemical formulation management for chemists, reducing formula modification time and improving data accuracy.
FlaskReactPythonFull-Stack Development

Data Science / AI Projects Assistant

M42 (G42 Healthcare)
Jan 2021 - Aug 2021
Abu Dhabi, UAE
  • •Led a machine learning project, engineering end-to-end data processing pipelines for CDC's NHANES healthcare datasets (1999-2018), creating custom workflows using Numpy and Pandas to extract, transform, impute, and clean complex medical data in varying formats.
  • •Implemented transformation pipelines using Scikit-learn, improving pre-processing for categorical and continuous data and optimizing models (Random Forest, XGBoost) across multiple approaches (data-driven vs. domain-driven, with/without lab data) for multi-class diabetes prediction, achieving ROC AUC scores up to 0.83.
  • •Collaborated with domain experts to integrate clinical knowledge into feature engineering, identifying clinically significant predictors for classification (non-diabetic, pre-diabetic, diabetic) as Phase 1 of a larger initiative to apply these methods to electronic health records in the UAE.
Machine LearningPythonScikit-learnXGBoostData EngineeringHealthcare Analytics

Projects

Academic and personal projects

Smart Budget Tracker Application

Flask + React web app for personal/group budgeting with features for expense logging, categorization, visualizations, and smart suggestions. Integrated SQLite3 for efficient data storage and tracking.

FlaskReactSQLite3Full-Stack

Mathematical Model of Cellular Responses to Alcohol During Photobiomodulation

Built a mathematical model using ordinary differential equations (ODEs) to study alcohol's effect on mitochondrial dynamics during PBM. Simulated oxidative stress–PBM interactions and conducted sensitivity analyses on superoxide production.

ODEsMATLABComputational ModelingMitochondrial Dynamics

Critical Review of Cochlear Implant Efficacy in Pediatric Populations

Authored a critical review on somatosensory reorganization in pediatric cochlear implant (CI) users and its impact on speech perception. Analyzed the relationship between sensory adaptation and auditory outcomes, highlighting the role of brain plasticity in CI effectiveness.

NeuroscienceClinical ResearchBrain Plasticity