Nanoscale to circuit-level computational and experimental studies of the biophysical mechanism of ultrasound-mediated mechanical neurostimulation

Although ultrasonic neurostimulation has the potential to outperform traditional treatments for many debilitating neurological disorders, it remains unclear how ultrasound affects nervous system activity on the molecular level. Since ultrasound acts on a molecular scale in a macroscopic environment, I will bridge these scales using a novel combination of nanoscale molecular dynamics simulations, machine learning extensions to the mesoscopic scale, and macroscale experiments in cells and tissue involving molecular sensors and electrophysiology. Intersecting both computational material science and neurobiology, this project will inform the design of ultrasound parameters to maximize therapeutic effects and reveal general principles underlying cellular mechanotransduction.