Dr. Shahbaz Askari holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Now he is a postdoc fellow at ICORD and holds the research and development manager at NRSign Ltd. He completed his Master of Applied Science at UBC in 2016, following a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tehran in 2001.
Shahbaz has specialized in the development of miniaturized, implantable sensors designed for the precise measurement of hemodynamic and electrophysiological parameters. Additionally, he is proficient in biophotonics, with a particular emphasis on the application of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) in sensor design.
His expertise extends to creating neurophysiological measurement tools, including those that assess nerve conduction velocity, evoked potentials in auditory and visual systems, and nerve stimulation techniques.
Shahbaz has also contributed to the field of multimodal measurements, integrating technologies such as electroencephalography, near-infrared spectroscopy, temperature measurement, electro-impedance spectroscopy, and pressure and electromyography to evaluate the complex interplay of tissues in the brain, muscles, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves.
Shahbaz collaborates with a multifaceted design team that spans several specialized fields, including mechanical engineering, biomaterials, medical device regulation, biophotonics engineering, and both digital and analog electronic design. His area of expertise is deeply rooted in digital and analog electronic engineering and biophonics with a particular focus on biosignal processing. This specialization equips him to play a pivotal role in the intricate process of creating medical devices, bridging the gap between complex physiological data and the precise electronic mechanisms required to capture and analyze such information.
Shahbaz led a multidisciplinary team of engineers in creating an implantable Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) sensor for measuring hemodynamic metrics in the spinal cord. This sensor is used to measure blood flow in the spinal cord and has been successfully implanted.
In addition to his previous work, he designed and developed a combined Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) and Electroencephalography (EEG) sensor. This innovative tool enables simultaneous measurement of both hemodynamic and neurophysiological activities in the brain, leading to advancements in brain research and diagnostics.
With a professional background spanning more than twenty years, Shahbaz’s work in the design and fabrication of multimodal bioelectrical and optical sensors has been critical. His comprehensive expertise includes pioneering neurophysiology sensors. His keen interest lies in the translational research of electronic and photonic design from theoretical frameworks to practical clinical applications. His academic work is particularly concentrated on advancing the miniaturization of neurophysiology systems and spearheading the development of novel implantable biosensors.
Education
- PhD, Electrical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (2016 – 2023)
- MSc, Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (2013 – 2016)
- BSc, Electrical Engineering, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran (1997 – 2001)
Awards
- President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award, University of British Columbia, 2021
- British Columbia Graduate Scholarship, University of British Columbia, 2020
- President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award, University of British Columbia, 2020
- Faculty of Applied Science Graduate Award, University of British Columbia, 2018
Current Projects
- Design and development of the concurrent measurement of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) during epileptic activity.
- Design and development of a probe for measuring the hemodynamic and neurophysiological changes in a neonate’s brain (Neolite).
- Design and development of an implantable probe for measuring the oxygenation and blood perfusion for the spinal cord.
- Development of a method to measure the optical properties of the spinal cord.
Interests
- The application of near infrared spectroscopy in combined by electrophysiology measurement.
- Ultra-low frequency electroencephalography and its applications in epilepsy, migraine, and concussion.
- Peripheral nerve conduction velocity monitoring.
- Spinal cord modeling and monitoring.
Publications
Askari, S., Bastany, Z., Holsti, L., & Dumont, G. D. (2021, March). Lighting up babies’ brains: development of a combined NIRS/EEG system for infants. In Biophotonics in Exercise Science, Sports Medicine, Health Monitoring Technologies, and Wearables II, 11638, 116380N.
Bastany, Z. J., Askari, S., Dumont, G. A., Kellinghaus, C., Kazemi, A., & Gorji, A. (2020). Association of cortical spreading depression and seizures in patients with medically intractable epilepsy. Clinical Neurophysiology, 131(12), 2861-2874.
Askari, S., Bastany, Z., Pagano, R., & Dumont, G. A. (2020). Ambient noise reduction in cerebral near infrared spectroscopy based on frequency division multiplexing. In Biophotonics in Exercise Science, Sports Medicine, Health Monitoring Technologies, and Wearables, 11237, 1123703.
Askari, S., Bastany, Z., Holsti, L., Gorji, A., & Dumont, G. A. (2020). Combined low-frequency EEG and NIRS during hypoxia. Biophotonics in Exercise Science, Sports Medicine, Health Monitoring Technologies, and Wearables, 11237, 1123706.
Bastany, Z. J., Askari, S., Dumont, G. A., Speckmann, E. J., & Gorji, A. (2016). Non-invasive monitoring of spreading depression. Neuroscience, 333, 1-12.
Yousefi, H., Nabi, F., & Askari, S. (2015). Fuzzy clustering and feature selection analysis toward improved identification of MUAP in needle EMG signal. 22nd Iranian Conference on Biomedical Engineering (ICBME), 172-177.
Yousefi, H., Askari, S., Dumont, G. A., & Bastany, Z. (2014). Automated decomposition of needle EMG signal using STFT and wavelet transforms. 21th Iranian Conference on Biomedical Engineering (ICBME), 358-363.