Michael Zara Email & Phone Number

- Technical lead for the SMART lab’s physiological studies: responsible for providing technical advice/feasibility of upcoming studies; integrating scientific equipment for multi-modal signal acquisition using LSL; developing stimuli presentation code for experiments in MATLAB and Python; collecting experimental data; quality control of physiological data; documenting processes; and training lab members on using scientific equipment and their associated software- Developed and implemented the lab’s framework for functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data/signal processing and analysis pipelines in MATLAB for use in cognitive neuroscience studies- Responsible for ongoing calibration, maintenance and troubleshooting of scientific equipment to ensure operational integrity of data collection

Toronto, Canada Area

- Supervised five sections over the course of the F2016, F2017, and F2019 terms for BME/ELE532: Signals and Systems I under the supervision of Dr. Soosan Beheshti- Provided guidance to students during the lab sessions, in which the MATLAB environment was used for the analysis of signals and systems - Hosted several tutorial sessions for my students throughout the semester to reinforce the theoretical content taught during the lectures - Created a marking scheme and marked quizzes and lab reports- Performed invigilation duties for several quizzes and the midterm

• Collaborated with Critical Care researchers and clinicians from St. Michael’s Hospital in the newly formed Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST)• Proposed research into developing a signal processing scheme to separate noise (heart interference) from signal (esophageal pressure)• Obtained background knowledge of respiratory physiology through clinical journals and discussions with clinical collaborators• Performed an extensive literature survey on cutting-edge signal processing algorithms and techniques for signal enhancement/source-separation• Presented engaging PowerPoint presentations to researchers from different fields of expertise• Communicated my research to the general public through Ryerson's 3MT Competition• Assisted in creating posters, presenting, and maintaining booths for the iBEST Symposium held at St. Michael’s Hospital• Represented the SAR Group in Ryerson’s booth at OCE Discovery 2018

Toronto, Canada Area

- Supervised seven sections over the course of the W2017, W2018, and W2019 terms of BME639: Control Systems and Bio-Robotics under the supervision of Dr. Soosan Beheshti and Dr. Saba Sedghizadeh- Provided theoretical and technical guidance to students during the lab sessions in which Simulink was used to model different controllers (lead, lag, PI, PD and PID)- Performed interviews after each lab submission to ensure students understood the underlying concepts used in the lab project- Marked lab reports and provided constructive criticism about the formatting and content of the report- Created solutions to the midterm exam and quizzes, and subsequently marked them- Performed invigilation duties for quizzes and the midterm

Toronto, Canada Area

• Acquired EMG, ECG, gait and motion signals from clinically validated systems and consumer wearable devices for health and wellness applications• Performed literature reviews on wearable technologies and their applications to health monitoring and telemedicine• Assisted in creating academic posters, presenting, and maintaining a booth for the iBEST Symposium held at St. Michael’s Hospital

Master Of Applied Science - Masc, Biomedical/Medical Engineering

Bachelor Of Engineering (B.Eng.), Biomedical/Medical Engineering, Minor In Management Sciences