Lab Members
Joel Disu
Doctoral Student, Biomedical Engineering
Bio
Joel Disu is a Biomedical Engineering doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University. He has been a research assistant and lab member in the Wood Neuro Research Group since August 2022. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from University of Ghana and pursued his master’s degree at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China where he focused on imaging and medical robotics research in Biomedical Engineering. He is originally from Accra, Ghana. His research interests broadly include neuroimaging hardware instrumentation, inclusive neurotechnology, and data acquisition using noninvasive neuroimaging devices. Joel loves listening to gospel and jazz music, reading, and playing soccer.
Email: jdisu@andrew.cmu.edu
Nahom Mossazghi
Doctoral Student, Biomedical Engineering
Bio
Nahom Mossazghi is a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University Biomedical Engineering Program (BME) and joined Wood Neuro Research Group in September 2022. He is originally from Eritrea and completed his bachelor’s in Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota Twin – Cities. After graduation, he joined Dr. David Leopold's lab at the National Institute of Mental Health, designing novel marmoset implants to study naturalistic behavior. He then joined Dr. Eric Yttri's lab as a Master's Student in BME. There, his thesis focused on how rodents' behavior evolved when experiencing water scarcity. He is broadly interested in studying the organizational architecture of decision-making, and the role experiences play in neural representation. His goal is to design computational models to understand how neurons compute information and generate decisions critical for daily functions using various AI algorithms and state-of-the-art recording technologies. Outside the lab, Nahom enjoys watching movies, cheering for his favorite sports team, playing board games, traveling to different countries, hiking, and cooking. Furthermore, he mentors youth pursuing STEM careers in his community.
Email: nmossazg@andrew.cmu.edu
Lara Abdelmohsen
Doctoral Student, Biomedical Engineering
Bio
Lara Abdelmohsen is a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University and has been in the Wood Neuro Research Group since August 2022. She recently graduated from The College of New Jersey with her Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering. Her primary research interests are neuroengineering and neuroimaging. She is very fascinated by the human brain and aims to use imaging and engineering principles to solve problems related to diseases of the brain to help improve the patient's quality of life. When she's not at work, you can find her at the martial arts school, in an ice-skating rink or in her room trying to learn a new language while listening to classical music and drinking a warm latte.
Email: labdelmo@andrew.cmu.edu
Shidhartho Roy
Research Associate, Biomedical Engineering
Bio
Sharadhi Bharadwaj
Doctoral Student, Neuroscience
Bio
Elizabeth Meinert-Spyker
Research Associate
Bio
Antara Titikhsha Barua
Doctoral Student, Biomedical Engineering
Bio
Antara Titikhsha is a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University. She joined Wood Neuro Group in August 2023. With a keen interest in both Commonsense AI and Trustworthy AI, Antara aims to revolutionize healthcare and neurological studies by leveraging advanced computational techniques. She is particularly fascinated by the potential of AI to facilitate timely and accurate medical interventions in the future. Antara is originally from Chittagong, Bangladesh. Prior to embarking on her doctoral journey, she was a Computer Science lecturer at the Asian University for Women (AUW). She holds a Bachelor's degree in Bioinformatics from AUW, supplemented with double minors in Mathematics and Computer Science. An ardent advocate for Women in STEM, Antara is committed to creating a more inclusive scientific community. Beyond her lab commitments, she actively engages in STEM mentoring and outreach initiatives. In her leisure time, Antara is an avid reader and music enthusiast. She also enjoys exploring quaint coffee shops and bookstores, adding a sense of balance and inspiration to her rigorous academic pursuits.
Email: abarua@andrew.cmu.edu
Wanetta Osei-Bonsu
Undergraduate Student
Bio
Wanetta Osei-Bonsu is an undergraduate student at CMU and has been an undergraduate research assistant since September 2023. She is originally from Collegeville, Pennsylvania and is currently a second year undergraduate student studying Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at CMU. Her primary research interests include neuroengineering and specifically how this relates to the production of drugs and medical devices. In her free time, she enjoys singing, drinking chai lattes, and watching new movies.
Email: woseibon@andrew.cmu.edu
Sena Flo
Undergraduate Student
Bio
Sena Flo is an sophomore undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon University and has been an Undergraduate Researcher Assistant in the Wood Neuro Research Group since February 2023. She is currently pursuing her BS in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering and is interested in various topics, including the intersection between nueroengineering and biomedical device design and along with cardiovascular mechanics. In her free time she plays flamenco guitar and is a member of Carnegie Mellon Racing, CMU’s F1 style racing team.
Email: sflo@andrew.cmu.edu
Moaz Ibrahim
Undergraduate Student
Bio
Moaz Ibrahim is an undergraduate researcher pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering at The University of Pittsburgh. Though originally from Egypt, he spent much of his life in Maryland and his current home is in Kentucky. His main interest is in computational applications within medicine, predominately imaging, and he joined the Wood Neuro Lab in the summer of 2023. He is working to develop a pipeline using machine learning and fMRI to find impairment in information flow between different regions of the brain in patients with Sickle Cell Disease. This will ultimately be used as a method for tracking neurodegeneration within these patients. Outside of academics and research, some of his hobbies include reading, listening to indie rock, and playing ping pong.
Email: MWI1@pitt.edu
Anjali Angal
Undergraduate Student
Bio
Anjali Angal is an Electrical Engineering undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh. She joined Wood Neuro Group in May 2023 as part of a summer research internship. Currently, Anjali is working on creating a computer vision algorithm that can determine hair type from dermoscopic images with the aim to make fNIRS device more inclusive. She was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Pittsburgh a few years later. Her primary research interests include devices and electronics, computer vision, and machine learning. Anjali enjoys playing tennis, racquetball, table tennis, and volleyball.
Email: ana234@pitt.edu
Anyssa Oden
Undergraduate Student
Bio
Anyssa Oden is an undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon University double majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Material Science & Engineering. She has been in the Wood Neuro Research Group since summer of 2023. Since 2020, she has been doing research with Dr. Steven Abramowitch on 3D modeling female pelvic anatomy and simulations of childbirth and gynecologic mesh. She is interested in using 3D software to model and simulate pathophysiology in human anatomy and biomaterials, specifically in Black populations. Outside of research, you can find her watching anime, playing video games, and listening to music.
Email: aoden@andrew.cmu.edu