Research Areas

Cardiac Assist Devices, Muscle-powered Implants, Tissue-Device Interfaces

The primary objective of this research is to develop a safe and reliable means to harness energy from electrically stimulated skeletal muscle in order to assist the failing heart. Toward that end, we are currently in the process of designing, manufacturing and testing a muscle powered, non-blood contacting ventricular assist device (mVAD) that avoids the major limitations of current mechanical blood pumps used for long-term circulatory support.

Computational Cardiac Mechanics, Medical Device Design and Optimization

In collaboration with researchers from UCSD, we are simulating the effects of device interactions on the beating heart using an advanced computational software package designed for multi-scale modeling in biomechanics, biotransport, and electrophysiology. This allows us to optimize device design in silico prior to prototype manufacture and in vivo testing.

The Neural Basis of Cognition

As a faculty member in the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC), my main objective is to help shed light on the emerging science of animal awareness and, in so doing, better inform our sense of right and wrong when it comes to how we treat our animal relations. In this way I hope to put ethical concerns for animals on a more solid intellectual footing and contribute to an enlightened public debate about our collective responsibility toward all sentient animal species.

Science Education

I believe that our responsibility as working scientists does not stop at the laboratory door and that part of our job - and not the least part - is to promote the public understanding of science from the earliest grade levels through mentoring, educational outreach, and any other means at our disposal. Toward that end, I have published one book (The Way of Science: Finding Truth and Meaning in a Scientific Worldview, Prometheus Books, 2013) and numerous magazine articles on the importance of critical thinking and scientific literacy among the general public.