2023 Fellow

Lauren R. Madden is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Neural Engineering. As a member of the pNEURO Lab led by Tim M. Bruns, her research interest lies in improving understanding of peripheral neural interfacing with microelectrodes and neuromodulation devices. Neuromodulation devices are used to treat a wide variety of patient disorders and diseases, and her research aims to provide insight into the intricacies of both recording from and stimulating the peripheral nervous system. She uses high-performance computing to conduct electromagnetic biophysical modeling of the nervous system, its microanatomical components, and the electrodes that are used to either record from or stimulate peripheral neurons. Her models employ both finite element and multi-compartment cable modeling, and she uses Markov chain Monte Carlo methods for model parameter optimization. These computationally demanding simulations and analyses allow her to explore factors that influence the electrophysiological behaviors of peripheral neurons and understand their recorded signals in ways that would be difficult to study experimentally.

Outside of research, Lauren is also involved in science education and community outreach, primarily through leadership with Science Education and Engagement for Kids (SEEK), a University of Michigan graduate student organization that provides science curriculum lessons to local, low-resource elementary schools.