Team

Students interested in pursuing graduate studies (Ph.D. or MD-Ph.D.) and potential postdocs should email a brief description of research interest along with recent CV to apyadav [at] unc [dot] edu. Prospective PhD students should apply directly to the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, but notifying Dr. Yadav in advance would be the best course of action.

Amol P. Yadav, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Dr. Amol Yadav obtained his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University in the laboratory of Dr. Miguel Nicolelis. In graduate school he worked with rodents and developed tools to advance brain-machine interfaces and specialized in spinal cord neuromodulation. As a postdoctoral scholar in the Nicolelis lab he was trained in non-human primate neurophysiology and neuromodulation research. He obtained clinical research training on spinal cord stimulation while working with several neurosurgeons at Duke Neurosurgery. Before joining UNC, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Email me: apyadav [at] unc [dot] edu

Postdoctoral Researchers

Taylor Tvrdy, Ph.D

Dr. Taylor Tvrdy earned his Ph.D. in Neurophysiology from the University of Colorado Boulder in Dr. Roger Enoka’s Neurophysiology of Movement Laboratory, an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His research focuses on applying advanced signal processing to high-density electrophysiological recordings to characterize neuronal discharge patterns and infer their synaptic inputs. He is particularly interested in leveraging deep learning to optimize spinal cord stimulation parameters for neurological disorders, with the goal of restoring healthy motor function.

Graduate Student Researchers

Jacob Slack, B.S.

PhD student

Jacob obtained his bachelors in Biomedical Engineering from Purdue University Indianapolis in May 2021. He is interested in developing high-density recording and stimulation technologies to train animals on brain-machine interface experiments while simultaneously developing sensory augmentation experiments in humans. He was awarded the University Graduate Fellowship in 2022.

Madison Doss, B.S.

PhD student

Madison obtained her bachelors in Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience from Loras College in May 2023. She is interested in researching how spinal cord stimulation can treat neurological disorders and/or augment sensory perceptions. She was awarded the BME Merit Fellowship in 2024.

Manjima Sarkar, B.S., M.Sc.

MD-PhD student

Manjima obtained her bachelors in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California in 2019 and a Masters from Oxford University, UK in 2020. She worked as a Clinical Research Assistant at Stanford before joining the MD-PHD program at UNC. She is interested in clinical translation of brain-spine interfaces to treat Parkinson’s disease patients.

Anna-Lena Stein, M.S.

PhD student

Anna-Lena obtained her bachelors in chemistry at Saint Thomas University in 2022 and masters in Bioengineering at Temple University in 2025. She is interested in developing novel neuroprosthetic applications to restore sensorimotor function after spinal cord injury. She was awarded the University Graduate Fellowship and the Warren-Wolfpack Club Graduate Fellowship for athletic achievements in 2025.

Staff Researchers

Sarah Kate Norris, B.S.

Research technician/Manager

Sarah Kate obtained her bachelors in Neuroscience from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is interested in animal behavior experiments on artificial sensory perceptions. She conducts animal training and experiments, manages lab supplies, and organizes our day-to-day activities.

Aditi Bhattacharya, M.Tech.

Research assistant

Aditi obtained her master’s degree in Biological Sciences and Bioengineering from IIT Kanpur, India and a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from NIT Raipur, India. She’s interested in stuffs that lead to a better understanding of the brain.

Undergraduate Student Researchers

Beesan Shehadeh

Undergraduate research assistant/Abrams Scholar

Beesan is a third-year student studying biomedical engineering. She specializes in rehabilitation engineering and regenerative medicine, with an interest in neuroengineering.

Gus Rutledge

Undergraduate research assistant/Abrams Scholar/Sheerer Scholar

Gus is currently a sophomore working towards a BS in Biomedical Engineering. He is interested in studying how artificial sensations can be created through varying types of spinal cord stimulation.

Collaborators

Dr. Vibhor Krishna, Associate Professor, Neurosurgery, University of North Carolina
Dr. Helen Huang, Professor, North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina
Dr. Raghav Pothukuchi, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, University of North Carolina
Dr. Nitin Sharma, Associate Professor, North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina
Dr. Jason Franz, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University
Dr. Kunal Gupta, Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery, Indiana University
Dr. S. Elizabeth Zauber, Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology, Indiana University
Dr. Lingxiao Deng, Assistant Professor, Neurological Surgery, Indiana University