Laboratory for Advanced Brain Signal Processing

BTCC (BSI-TOYOTA Collaboration Center) - Noninvasive BMI Unit

Brain Science Institute, RIKEN

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Hovagim Bakardjian is a Research Scientist at the Laboratory for Advanced Brain Signal Processing (LABSP) at the Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, Japan. His main research interests are in multidisciplinary research extending from the development of new experimental paradigms in neuroscience to the development of new algorithms in computational neuroscience. He strives to combine both of these approaches to achieve maximal contribution for disabled, disadvantaged and healthy members of society using novel neuro-technologies. Before joining the LABSP, Hovagim was a research scientist at the National Institute of Bioscience and Human-Technology, AIST (Tsukuba, Japan), as well as at the Hokkaido University's Faculty of Engineering (Sapporo, Japan), the Graz University of Technology's Institute for Knowledge Discovery (Graz, Austria), and the Sofia Medical University's Institute of Biomedical Engineering (Sofia, Bulgaria).

Hovagim Bakardjian obtained his D.Eng (Ph.D) in Electronic and Information Engineering from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in 2011 (“Optimization of Steady-State Visual Responses for Robust Brain-Computer Interfaces”). He received his M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in 1988 and 1987 from the Department of Computer Science and Automation, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics of the Ilmenau institute of Technology, Germany (B.Sc: “Electronic Design of a DC EEG Device for Measurement of Slow Cortical Potentials”; M.Sc: “Adaptive Classification of Stress Management in Pilots Using Heart Rate Variability Measures – An Expert System Approach Implemented in Prolog and Pascal”). Part of his biomedical engineering education was obtained at the Jena University, Institute of Physiology, Jena, Germany.

He has been awarded the Austrian Ministry of Education research fellowship, the competitive Japanese Ministry of Education research fellowship, and the Japanese Science and Technology Agency fellowship. He has more than 75 research publications.

Dr. Hovagim Bakardjian is a member of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, the Society for Neuroscience (SFN), and the Japan Neuroscience Society (JNS).

RESEARCH INTERESTS

·   Hyperscanning: Simultaneous brain activity in a group of human subjects

    during  shared social experiences and communication

·   3-Mode Hybrid Brain-Computer Interface (BCI): SSVEP, P300, MI (motor imagery)

·   NIRS-EEG-Based SSVEP-BCI for smartphones: Robust multi-command phone appl.

·   Rehabilitation: Recovery through targeted brain changes

·   Sensory enhancement using emotions

    (Affective-Face Steady-State Visual Evoked Responses - afSSVEP))

·   Affective-Visual Hybrid Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)

    - Based on SSVEP and Emotions, with 8 and more commands

·   afSSVEP-BCI control of a robotic arm

    (e.g. pick up a coffee cup, allow a handicapped subject to drink)

·   Emotions: Adaptive recognition using biosignals (actual and imagined stimuli)

·   Music therapy in advanced dementia

·   Multisensory brain interactions (visual, auditory, somatosensory, etc)

·   Fast visual motion processing in the brain (apparent and smooth)

    - Novel fast BCI designs based on visual-motion imagery with priming

·   Non-lingual infant-adult communications based on brain activity;

    Multi-sensory enhancements of infant cognitive development

·   Neurofeedback treatment of autism and ADHD

    (Attention deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) in school children

·   Contactless brain sensors for BCI and neurofeedback therapy

OBJECTIVES

·   To achieve innovative research results through new experimental designs and advanced signal processing leading to

    substantial progress in understanding and control of important functions of the human body (e.g. brain)

·   To develop biomedical knowledge, novel technology and challenging practical applications for the substantial improvement of quality of

    life of healthy, elderly, very young, and disabled members of society.

·   To transfer knowledge and skills to the younger generation by teaching and hands-on approach

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS

·   IEEE Society

·   Japan Neuroscience Society (JNS) & IBRO

·   Society for Neuroscience

JOURNAL REVIEWER ACTIVITIES

·   Biological Psychology

·   Biomedical Signal Processing and Control

·   Clinical Neurophysiology

·   Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience

·   IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems & Rehabilitation Engineering
·   Journal of Neural Engineering

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

·   (2000-present) Inter-cultural coordination, translation, and advisory activities to help build a working long-term communication
	bridge between Japanese sculptor Mr. Masaji Asaga, and Bulgarian sculptors and artists (Mr. Ivan Russev, Prof. Stefan Lyutakov,
	Ms. Snezhana Simeonova, Mr. Ziyatin Nuriev, Mr. Tsviatko Siromashki, Mr. Milan Andreev, Mr. Kiril Meshkin and others).

·   Sept.1992 - Austrian Ministry of Education research fellowship: Technical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

·   April 1993 - Japanese Ministry of Education research fellowship: Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

·   Dec. 1997 - Japanese STA (Science and Technology Agency) fellowship, Ministry of International Trade and Industry: AIST
                     National Institute of Bioscience and Human-Technology (NIBH), Tsukuba, Japan

LANGUAGES