I measure monoamines in the living human brain at sub-second resolution and build the machine learning models to decode them.
Currently a Research Assistant Professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute (Virginia Tech) and Co-Founder of Nebula Neuro. I develop machine learning models for real-time neurochemical inference from electrochemical data acquired via intracranial electrodes in human patients. My focus is on building deep learning architectures that generalize neurotransmitter concentration estimates across probes, labs, and recording conditions. I've spent over a decade thinking about what consciousness is — and how to measure it. From early work on neural markers of awareness in infants and unconscious cognitive processing, to deriving uniqueness proofs for intrinsic information measures and co-authoring the formalization of Integrated Information Theory (IIT) 4.0. I co-founded Nebula Neuro to translate neurochemical biomarkers into clinical tools for psychiatric disorders.
My lab uses sub-second neurochemistry measurements in humans to determine how monoamines influence subjective experience and decision-making.
My research has led to the development of novel frameworks for AI-driven biomarker validation and FDA-compliant Real-World Evidence (RWE) generation.
Bang*, Luo*, Barbosa*, et al. (2023) • Current Biology
Co-First Author. Achieved the first sub-second measurements of neuromodulators using standard clinical sEEG electrodes. Revealed that norepinephrine estimates correlate positively with stimuli during high-arousal states, unlocking new avenues for monitoring human affect.
Batten*, Hartle*, Barbosa*, et al. (2024) • Cell Reports
Established the "InceptionTime" generalized model for carbon fiber electrodes. This work sets the new benchmark for AI-driven signal decoding across different labs and recording conditions.
Albantakis*, Barbosa*, et al. (2023) • PLOS Computational Biology
Foundational work defining the physical postulates of consciousness. Developed the mathematical implementation for quantifying cause-effect power in conscious physical systems.