Lab Members
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.
Research interests: sickle cell disease, functional MRI, pain, quantitative sensory testing, cerebral autoregulation
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.
Research interests: sickle cell disease, functional MRI, cognition and decision-making, effective connectivity, scarcity
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 is co-advised by Dr. Noelia Grande Gutiérrez and a member of the BioSiMM Lab. She graduated from The College of New Jersey with her Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering, and interned at Siemens Healthineers where she gained valuable experience in neuroimaging and MRI inspiring her to pursue a PhD in the field. She is broadly interested in studying the cerebral vasculature and stroke. Her goal is to use computational fluid dynamics models to understand how changes in cerebral vasculature could contribute to increased stroke risk in patients with sickle cell disease. Outside the lab, Lara enjoys hiking and Muay Thai.
Research interests: cerebral vasculature, stroke, cerebral hemodynamics, CFD, image-based simulation, sickle cell disease
Email: labdelmo@andrew.cmu.edu
Shidhartho Roy
Doctoral Student, Biomedical Engineering
Bio
Research interests: fNIRS, inclusive neurotechnology, cognition, EEG, VR
Email: shidharr@andrew.cmu.edu
Yuki Yang
Masters Student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Bio
Alex Kirages
Undergraduate Student Researcher, BME and ECE
Bio
Alex Kirages is an undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon University double majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering. He has been in the Wood Neuro Research Group since summer of 2024.
Rhea Soo
Undergraduate Student Researcher, BME and ECE
Bio
Rhea Soo is an undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon University double majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering. She has been in the Wood Neuro Research Group since summer of 2024. Rhea is passionate about advancing medical devices and promoting equitable access to healthcare. She is currently working on analyzing Arterial Spin Labeling and Phase-Contrast MRI data to inform Computational Fluid Dynamics models to better understand cerebral hemodynamics in patients with Sickle Cell Disease. Outside of research, Rhea enjoys cooking, spending time with friends, and traveling.
Anay Soni
Undergraduate Student Researcher, ECE
Bio
Anay Soni is an undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon University majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has been in the Wood Neuro Research Group since summer of 2025. Anay is passionate about utilizing hardware in new ways to improve the quality of life for underrepresented individuals. He is currently working on a wearable-XR prototype for pain-cognition assessment, seeking to synchronize autonomic and thermal sensors with VR technologies using low power Bluetooth. Outside of research, Anay enjoys playing video games, eating, and spending time with family and friends.
Gabrielle Ibrahim
High School Researcher
Bio
Gabrielle Ibrahim is high school research student at Carnegie Mellon University. She has been in the Wood Neuro Research Group since January of 2024.
Herylnn Niepa
High School Researcher
Bio
Herylnn is high school research student at Carnegie Mellon University. She has been in the Wood Neuro Research Group since summer of 2025.