Apoorva Karekal
San Jose
Summary
Experienced UX and Neuroscience Researcher with 4+ years in human-centered experimental design, EEG/EMG signal analysis, machine learning, and behavioral analytics. Proven ability to bridge human perceptual and motor research with real-world applications, especially in clinical and translational settings.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
Work History
Graduate Research Fellow
University of Oregon
09.2020 - Current
- Designed and executed longitudinal multi-modal studies (EEG, EMG, accelerometry, behavioral) with Parkinson's patients and healthy controls to capture real-world motor and perceptual function
- Applied human factors principles to develop safe, user-centered protocols for high-fidelity motion capture and cognitive-motor assessments
- Designed and conducted motor imagery studies in Parkinson's patients to compare imagined vs executed movement, revealing insights into motor planning and informing assistive or virtual environment design
- Developed and analyzed a conflict-based cognitive-motor task to assess error monitoring, and decision-making; identified neural and behavioral signatures of impaired control in Parkinson's Disease
- Led advanced neural signal analyses to identify biomarkers relevant to motor performance and cognitive control, contributing to cross-disciplinary research in clinical and applied neuroscience
- Built scalable neural signal analysis pipelines using MNE-Python, NumPy and SciPy to automate preprocessing, feature extraction, and metric generation from neural and behavioral data
- Implemented and compared machine learning models (e.g., Decision Trees, SVMs, Random Forest, CNN) to classify Parkinson's Disease vs Controls and assess treatment response
- Collaborated cross-functionally with neurologists, engineers, and designers to co-develop experimental paradigms and task prototypes informed by user needs.
- Ensured IRB compliance and managed documentation of experimental procedures, participant safety, and data handling
- Communicated insights across audiences through peer-reviewed publications, stakeholder briefings, and conference presentations
Research Assistant and Lab Manager
San Jose State University
09.2018 - 05.2020
- Designed and developed an optogenetics-based approach to selectively stimulate gamma motor neurons in a rodent model, enabling precise investigation of muscle spindle function
- Performed surgeries, collected extracellular recordings from mice and applied spike sorting and linear regression for neural response prediction
- Managed and trained a lab of 15+ undergraduate students, providing mentorship in optogenetics, neural data analysis, and experimental techniques
- Ensured IACUC compliance, maintaining protocols and regulatory documentation
Research Assistant
University of Bristol
01.2017 - 05.2017
- Conducted cell-based assays to evaluate oxidative stress responses in macular degeneration, using real-time PCR and immunostaining
Research Intern
Leiden University Medical Centre/St. Antonius Hospital
06.2014 - 08.2015
- Optimized Western blot, ELISA, and flow cytometry assays for biomarker detection in cancer and immunology research
Education
Ph.D. - Human Physiology (Clinical and Computational Neuroscience)
University of Oregon
Oregon, USA05.2025
M.Sc - Physiology (Neurophysiology)
San Jose State University
California, USA05.2020
M.Sc - Molecular Neuroscience
University of Bristol
United Kingdom05.2017
B.Sc - Life & Cognitive Sciences
Utrecht University - University College Roosevelt
The Netherlands05.2016
Skills
- Experimental design
- Usability Testing
- Data collection
- Behavioral analysis
- Translational Clinical Research
- Signal processing
- Time-Series Modeling
- Statistics
- Machine learning
- Feature extraction
- Python
- R
- Scientific writing
- Data visualization
- Regulatory compliance
Invited Talks
- Speaker, Pacific Northwest Basal Ganglia Coterie, 2024
- Speaker, Bay Area Society for Neuroscience, 2020
Positions
- Sub-reviewer, Nature Behavioral & Neural Networks, Reviewed two peer-reviewed neuroscience manuscripts.
- Mentor, Guided 2 graduate and over 20+ undergraduate students, assisting with data collection, analysis and research methods.
Awards
- Blackwell Human Physiology Award, 2023, Awarded by University of Oregon for highest scientific contributions in a year for the lab.
- Winner, Onward Eugene Business Pitch Competition, 2023, Innovative chatbot concept supporting Parkinson's patients.
- Science Grad Slam Winner, (2019, 2021), Best short-style research presentation.
External Projects
Team Lead (entrepreneurship), Nucleate Inc., Women's Innovation & Oregon Innovation Challenge, 09/01/21, 05/01/24
- Conducted user research with Parkinson's patients and caregivers to develop a chatbot providing personalized, expert-vetted medical information.
- Led UI/UX design of a mobile app focused on accessibility and user navigation.
- Secured startup pitch funding to support product prototyping and market validation
Neuromatch Academy, Computational Neuroscience Summer Course, 07/01/23, 05/01/24
- Topics: Supervised Machine Learning, Deep Learning (CNN), Bayesian Inference, Dimensionality Reduction.
- Built predictive models for motor tasks using ECoG-EMG-accelerometry data, applying multinomial logistic regression.
Skills
Experimental Design, Usability Testing, Human-Machine Interaction, Risk Analysis, IRB/IACUC Compliance, User Needs Assessment, Data Collection (EEG, EMG, ECoG, Accelerometry, Multisensory Integration), Behavioral Analysis, Clinical Research, Signal Processing, Time-Series Modeling, Statistics, Machine Learning, Feature Extraction, Data Interpretation, Programming (Python, Jupyter, R basics, Git/GitHub, SciPy, Scikit-learn, Matplotlib, Seaborn)
Selected Publications (3 first authors published, 2 first authors papers in prep)
- Karekal, A et al. Machine Learning Prediction of Beta Synchrony in Parkinson’s Disease: Assessing Reliability and Consistency Across Multiple EEG Sessions. (In prep)
- Karekal A, Stuart S, Mancini M, Swann NC. Elevated Gaussian-modeled beta power in the cortex characterizes aging, but not Parkinson’s disease. Journal of neurophysiology (2023)
- Karekal A, Miocinovic S, Swann NC. Novel approaches for quantifying beta synchrony in Parkinson’s disease. Experimental Brain Research (2022)
Timeline
Graduate Research Fellow
University of Oregon
09.2020 - Current
Research Assistant and Lab Manager
San Jose State University
09.2018 - 05.2020
Research Assistant
University of Bristol
01.2017 - 05.2017
Research Intern
Leiden University Medical Centre/St. Antonius Hospital
06.2014 - 08.2015
Ph.D. - Human Physiology (Clinical and Computational Neuroscience)
University of Oregon
M.Sc - Physiology (Neurophysiology)
San Jose State University
M.Sc - Molecular Neuroscience
University of Bristol
B.Sc - Life & Cognitive Sciences
Utrecht University - University College Roosevelt
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