Wasim Q. Malik, PhD

Overview

 Assistant Professor of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School

Research Areas

• Diagnostic biomarker development for neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques for neurophysiological and neuroimaging data analytics
• Electroceutical interventions for peripheral nerve stimulation
• Computational modeling and statistical signal processing algorithms for biomedical applications
• Intracortical neural prosthetics (brain-machine interfaces) for individuals with tetraplegia
• Neuronal dynamics of sensorimotor learning and motor representation
• Denoising and neuronal spike extraction techniques for two-photon calcium imaging of the brain
• Ultra-wideband (UWB) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems

Description of Research

My research focuses on the development of signal processing techniques for biomedical engineering systems, particularly with neuroscience and neuroengineering applications. I lead the computational algorithms team at the multi-institutional BrainGate pilot clinical trial, which is investigating the feasibility of neural interfaces for motor function restoration in people with paralysis. My interest in the BrainGate project is in developing adaptive filtering approaches for multi-signal neural decoding to achieve neuroprosthetic control. Another of our projects aims to develop point-process methods for identifying neuronal spikes from fast two-photon imaging data, enabling neuronal ensemble signal analysis for in vivo brain tissue. We also focus on time-series analysis and machine learning techniques for healthcare analytics. Finally, I design wireless communications technology for a range of healthcare applications including chronically implantable stimulation and recording systems, telemedicine, 24-hour patient monitoring, and wireless body area networks.

For more information on this research, please visit the Harvard and MIT research lab.

Publications

1. Q. Malik and R. Ajemian, "Microarrays in the brain: Can they be used for brain-machine interface control?" in J. Arle and J. Shils (Eds.), Innovative Neuromodulation. Elsevier, 2017
2. A. Prieto, A. I. Andres, A. Venkatakishnan, W. Q. Malik, V. Dietz, and W. Z. Rymer, "Rehabilitation technologies for spinal cord injury" in J. L. Pons, R. Raya, J. Gonzalez (Eds.), Emerging Therapies in Neurorehabilitation II. Springer, 2016
3. Q. Malik, L. R. Hochberg, J. P. Donoghue, and E. N. Brown, "Modulation depth estimation and variable selection in state-space models for neural interfaces," IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng., 62(2), 570-581, Feb. 2015
4. A. Perge, S. Zhang, W. Q. Malik, M. L. Homer, S. Cash, G. Friehs, E. Eskandar, J. P. Donoghue, and L. R. Hochberg, "Reliability of directional information in unsorted spikes and local field potentials recorded in human motor cortex," J. Neural Eng., 11(4), 046007, Jun. 2014
5. A. Perge, M. L. Homer, W. Q. Malik, S. Cash, E. Eskandar, G. Friehs, J. P. Donoghue, and L. R. Hochberg, "Intra-day signal instabilities affect decoding performance in an intracortical neural interface system," J. Neural Eng., 10(3), 036004, Jun. 2013
6. Cajigas, W. Q. Malik, and E. N. Brown, "nSTAT: Open-source neural spike train analysis toolbox for Matlab," J. Neurosci. Meth., 211(2), 245-264, Nov. 2012
7. Jarosiewicz, J. Schummers, W. Q. Malik, E. N. Brown, and M. Sur, “Functional biases in visual cortex neurons with identified projections to higher cortical targets,” Curr. Biol., 22(4), 269-277, Feb. 2012  
8. Q. Malik, J. Schummers, M. Sur, and E. N. Brown, “Denoising two-photon calcium imaging data,”PLoS ONE, 6(6), e20490, Jun. 2011  
9. Q. Malik, W. Truccolo, E. N. Brown, and L. R. Hochberg, “Efficient decoding with steady-state Kalman filter in neural interface systems,” IEEE Trans. Neural Syst. Rehabil. Eng., 19(1), 25-34, Feb. 2011
10. Q. Malik and D. J. Edwards, “Measured MIMO capacity and diversity gain with spatial and polar arrays in ultrawideband channels,” IEEE Trans. Commun., 55(12), 2361-2370, Dec. 2007  
11. E. Arle, J. L. Shils, and W. Q. Malik, “Localized stimulation and recording in the spinal cord with microelectrode arrays,” in Proc. IEEE Eng. Med. Biol. Conf. (EMBC). San Diego, CA, Aug. 2012
12. W. Q. Malik, I. Cajigas, and L. R. Hochberg, "Colored noise Kalman filter for neural decoding," in Proc. IEEE Eng. Med. Biol. Conf. (EMBC). San Diego, CA, Aug. 2012