Sreya Pothuraju
Pittsburgh,PA
Overview
4
4
years of professional experience
Work History
Rehabilitation Neural Engineering Laboratories (RNEL)
Pittsburgh, PA
- 05.2023
- Electromyography and Multi-Modal Approaches for Prosthetic Control
- Conducting detailed analyses on the effect of wrist posture on forearm muscle activity in able-bodied individuals and individuals with transradial amputation using linear and non-linear dimensionality reduction techniques (PCA, UMAP, tSNE) (First author manuscript in preparation, Data to be presented at SfN 2025, San Diego)
- Building decoders that generalize across wrist postures, improving dexterity by ~20% for prosthetic users
- Examining the structure of hand kinematics and muscle activations across diverse manual behaviors to understand differences between volitional movement and isometric force, informing prosthetic training and decoding strategies (First author manuscript in preparation)
- Developing fusion algorithms that integrate muscle activity (EMG) with visual affordance cues (object images) to enhance intuitive, context-aware prosthetic hand control, leveraging deep learning (LSTM, CNN) models to predict grasp type and object interaction strategies, with preliminary results showing improved decoder accuracy and robustness
- Evaluating the safety and efficacy of a novel electrode (Myoelectric Implantable Recording Array) in a first-in-human trial, including development of in-lab and take-home assessments to ensure long-term, real-world prosthetic use
- Simultaneous brain-spine fMRI study (Under review at Imaging Neuroscience)
- Developed an fMRI preprocessing pipeline for brain–spine imaging using a task-based framework; demonstrated that four runs reliably captured upper-limb activations (vs. six standard), reducing scan time by at least 33%
- Analyzed subject-level fMRI signals and compared them across various age groups in healthy and diseased conditions (e.g., stroke), confirming that reduced scan times can yield accurate results, thereby minimizing fatigue and discomfort
- Acquired Electromyogram (EMG) signals to map motoneuron output, generating theoretical estimations of rostro-caudal activations, and compared them with the fMRI-derived spinal maps
Project Associate – Laboratory of Computational Neurosciences
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Chennai, India
03.2019 - 06.2021
- Studied the impact of stroke on motor and cognitive abilities. Designed Neural Networks that can design patient-specific rehabilitative protocols upon assessing relevant data
- Designed interactive VR games with Microsoft Kinect and Intel RealSense to reduce compensatory movements in stroke patients, visiting stroke centers to assess patient needs and capabilities.
- Incorporated visual system by applying variants of Self Organizing Maps in a behavioral model of the Cortico-Basal Ganglia system to understand the role of multi-sensory integration in stroke therapy
Clinical Application Specialist
Philips Healthcare
Chennai, India
07.2017 - 01.2019
- Led the development and clinical implementation of minimally invasive ultrasound protocols across radiology, cardiology, and obstetrics and gynecology, establishing advanced diagnostic workflows using transcranial doppler, elastography and image-guided biopsies
- Designed and validated intracardiac echo protocols for assessing cardiac deformities, effusions, and valvular pathology
- Streamlined electronic health record systems to enhance data storage and accessibility across clinical sites.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy - BioEngineering (Neural Engineering Track)
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA04.2028
Master of Science - BioEngineering (Neural Engineering Track)
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA04.2023
Bachelor of Technology - Biomedical Engineering
SRM University
Kattankulathur, Chennai, India05.2017
Skills
- Programming Languages: MATLAB, Python, Bash, C# (intermediate), R (beginner)
- Softwares and toolboxes: FSL, Spinal cord toolbox, Keras, Unity3D, Blender, SIMULINK, LabVIEW, MS Office, Google Collab
Timeline
Project Associate – Laboratory of Computational Neurosciences
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
03.2019 - 06.2021
Clinical Application Specialist
Philips Healthcare
07.2017 - 01.2019
Rehabilitation Neural Engineering Laboratories (RNEL)
- 05.2023
Master of Science - BioEngineering (Neural Engineering Track)
University of Pittsburgh
Bachelor of Technology - Biomedical Engineering
SRM University
Doctor of Philosophy - BioEngineering (Neural Engineering Track)
University of Pittsburgh
LEADERSHIP AND OUTREACH EXPERIENCE
- Secretary, Engineering Graduate Student Organization (EGSO) September 2025–Present
- Represent the interests and welfare of engineering graduate students across the school
- Coordinate social events, professional development, and networking opportunities while managing meeting records and communications
- Leadership, Center for Neural Basis and Cognition (CNBC) September 2025–Present
- Oversee meeting logistics including scheduling, securing locations, and coordinating meals, while ensuring smooth execution of student research presentations
- Support compliance with program requirements and foster peer feedback and professional development in neuroscience communication
- Outreach & DEI Initiatives, RNEL, Pittsburgh, PA Jun 2022–Present
- Lead STEM outreach for middle and high school students and mentor undergraduates on summer research projects
- Core committee member of the Adult Coding Team – an initiative to teach coding to adults in underserved communities without prior access to such resources
- SRM University, Chennai, India August 2013-May 2017
- Co-founded MedProvoc, an initiative promoting innovative ideas and prototypes to foster interdisciplinary collaboration
- Served as a committee member for Bioyantra, a premier national biomedical engineering fest- led efforts in events, publicity, and sponsorship, ultimately serving as a core organizer under the Department of Biomedical Engineering
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
- Teaching Assistant – Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh
- Statistics for Bioengineers (Spring 2024) – Led lab sessions using JMP Pro to teach data analysis, hypothesis testing, and statistical modeling techniques
- Dynamical Systems: A Physiological Perspective (Fall 2024) – Taught labs on modeling bioelectrical, biomechanical, and biochemical systems using Simulink; guided students in analyzing cardiovascular, metabolic, and neuroendocrine dynamics
Publications
- Neural Interfaces 2025 hosted by the North American Neuromodulation Society, Arlington, VA, USA
- S Pothuraju, T Simpson, J L Collinger , E L Fisher, R A Gaunt. Multi-posture Training Improves EMG-controlled Prosthetic Hand Decoder Performance
- Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) Annual Meeting (2023), Montréal, CA
- E Sensel, S Pothuraju, E Pirondini. Identifying Reliable Task-Based Upper Limb Movements for Simultaneous Brain-Spine fMRI
- NeuroTech Course Workshop (June 2025), Aurora, CO, USA
- Completed NIH-supported training on neural device translation and commercialization, including hands-on curriculum in preclinical, clinical, and commercialization pathways.
Awards
Pennsylvania Robotics and Technology Fellowship (PA-RTF), Selected for a competitive fellowship that pairs graduate students with industry partners to tackle real-world challenges in robotics, neurotechnology, and assistive systems, Collaborated with Humotech to explore commercial strategies for Caplex, their flagship prosthetic emulation system