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AMITA GIRI

Curriculum Vitae

Amita Giri

Dr. Amita Giri is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee. She previously worked with Dr. Dimitrios Pantazis as a Postdoctoral Associate at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Dr. Giri completed her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at IIT Delhi in 2022. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Uttarakhand in 2017, where she first discovered her passion for neuroscience.

Driven by her fascination with research and the complexities of the human brain, Dr. Giri pursued a direct Ph.D. following her undergraduate studies. She is a recipient of the prestigious Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF), awarded to outstanding doctoral candidates in India.

Her research interests include Biomedical signal processing, Brain soucre localization, Computational neuroscience, Brain computer interface (BCI) and Machine learning.

Open Positions: We encourage prospective students (Ph.D., Bachelors and Masters) to visit our Join Our Team Page and Research Page to learn more about the exciting projects and areas we are working on.

EDUCATION

Amita Giri

  • Postdoctoral Associate (2022 - 2024)
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA

      McGovern Institute for Brain Research
      Funding : National Institute of Health (NIH) Grant


    Amita Giri

  • Ph.D. (2017 - 2022)
    • Indian Institute of Technology , Delhi

      Department of Electrical Engineering
      Fellowship : Prime Minister's Research Fellowship


    Amita Giri
  • B.Tech (2013 - 2017)
    • National Institute of Technology , Uttarakhand
      Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering
      Fellowship : L'Oreal India For Young Women in Science (2013 - 2017)
      Uttarakhand State Government Scholarship (2013 - 2017).

    RESEARCH

    ResearchGate , Google Scholar , Linkedin

    My current research interests include:

    • Biomedical Signal Processing
    • Brain Source Localization
    • Computational Neuroscience
    • Brain Computer Interface (BCI)
    • Machine Learning & Deep Learning

    1. Brain Source Localization

    Brain Source Localization

    Brain source localization (BSL) using Electroencephalogram (EEG) or Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is an active research area focused on identifying the active brain regions from which EEG or MEG signal elements originate. This technique is particularly valuable in clinical applications, such as studying localized epilepsy to determine the precise initiation site of seizures. Additionally, BSL can help understand the origins of different stimulus responses, contributing to a broader comprehension of neural processing. EEG and MEG are widely utilized for neural activity assessment, renowned for their exceptional temporal resolution, which is essential for capturing rapid neural dynamics. However, both methods suffer from relatively low spatial resolution, limiting their effectiveness in precisely pinpointing neural activity locations.
    Our research aims to develop novel source localization algorithms specifically designed to enhance the spatial resolution of detected neural activity. By improving spatial resolution, we seek to overcome the current limitations of EEG and MEG, leading to more accurate diagnostics and providing deeper insights into the mechanisms of various brain disorders. These advancements promise to enhance clinical outcomes and foster more effective treatments.

    2. Brain Computer Interface (BCI)

    Cortical Source Domain based BCI

    In BCI, decoding the motor task from non-invasive EEG measurements is a challenging problem. It is due to the fact that encoding is assumed to be deep within the brain and is not easily accessible by the scalp recordings. The ability to know the source generators of the intended motor task from EEG may lead to huge improvements in BCI by providing continuous task-relevant neural signals. To overcome these issues and to study the brain activity on the motor cortex, cortical source domain processing is proposed. Our findings emphasize using the spatial source distribution knowledge in neurofeedback training of BCI systems. We are also interested in enhancing the user's control abilities, as the performance of any BCI system relies heavily on a user's attention level and ability to modulate sensory motor rhythms. Since considerable progress has been made on the "computer" side, while little work has been done on the "brain" perspective, we believe our work opens a wide range of possibilities to patients suffering from neuromuscular disabilities, stress, and anxiety.

    3. Impact of Yoga and Meditation on Neuroplasticity

    Anatomical Surface Reconstruction

    Yoga and meditation, ancient practices renowned for their profound impact on mental and physical well-being, have attracted increasing interest in neuroscience due to their potential influence on brain function and structure, a concept known as neuroplasticity. When you lift weights, your muscles get stronger and bigger. When you do yoga, your brain cells develop new connections, and changes occur in brain structure as well as function, resulting in improved cognitive skills such as learning and memory. Yoga strengthens parts of the brain that play a key role in memory, attention, awareness, thought, and language. Our lab focuses on studying the neural changes that occur in the brain that counteract age-related declines in memory and other cognitive skills.

    4. Sleep and Mental Health

    Kinematic Trajectory Prediction

    The quality of sleep is one of the most crucial determinants of mental and physical health, and its deficiency or absence can significantly impact an individual's well-being. Sleep apnea is among the most prevalent sleep disorders in many societies, highlighting the need for extensive research into its various aspects.
    Our lab focuses on studying the sleep structure of patients with moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and comparing it with that of healthy controls. By examining these differences, we aim to determine whether the absence or disruption of sleep in OSA patients leads to cognitive impairment. This research is essential for understanding the broader implications of sleep apnea on mental and physical health, and for developing more effective interventions and treatments for those affected by this prevalent sleep disorder.

    PUBLICATIONS

  • Journal
  • [J8]. L. Hecker, A. Giri, D. Pantazis and A. Adler, "Flexible Alternating Projection for Spatially Extended Brain Source Localization " in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering , doi: 10.1109/TBME.2024.3509741.

    [J7]. A. Giri, J. C. Mosher, A. Adler and D. Pantazis,"An F-ratio-based method for estimating the number of active sources in MEG " in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience , vol. 17, 2023.

    [J6]. A. Giri, L. Kumar, N. Kurwale and T. Gandhi,"Anatomical Harmonics Basis based Brain Source Localization with Application to Epilepsy " in Scientific Reports, Nature , 12 (1), 2022, 11240.

    [J5]. G. P. T. Choi, A. Giri and L. Kumar, "Adaptive area-preserving parameterization of open and closed anatomical surfaces " in Computers in Biology and Medicine , vol. 148, 2022, 105715.

    [J4]. S. Pancholi, A. Giri, A. Jain, L. Kumar and S. Roy, "Source Aware Deep Learning Framework for Hand Kinematic Reconstruction using EEG Signal " in IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics , vol. 53, no. 7, 2022, pp. 4094-4106.

    [J3]. A. Giri, L. Kumar and T. Gandhi, "Cortical Source Domain Based Framework For Enhanced Brain Computer Interface Applications in IEEE Sensors Letters" , vol. 5, No. 12, 2021.

    [J2]. A. Giri, L. Kumar and T. Gandhi, "Brain Source Localization in Head Harmonics Domain " in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement , vol. 70, pp. 1-10, 2020.

    [J1]. A. Giri, G.P.T. Choi and L. Kumar, "Open and Closed Anatomical Surface Description via Hemispherical Area-Preserving Map" in Signal Processing , Elsevier, vol. 180, 107867, 2020.

  • Conference
  • [C7]. L. Hecker, A. Adler, D. Pantazis, M. Wax, and A. Giri "Localization of Brain Signals by Signal Subspace Matching" in 2025 IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI) , pp. 1-5, Houston, Texas, USA, IEEE, 2025 (Accepted).

    [C6]. A. Soler, V. Naas, A. Giri and M. Molinas, "EEG Source Imaging Enhances Motor Imagery Classification" in 32th European Symposium on Artificial Neural Networks (ESANN) 2024 , pp. 1-5, Bruges (Belgium), ESANN, 2024.

    [C5]. L. Hecker, A. Giri, D. Pantazis and A. Adler, "Localization of Spatially Extended Brain Sources by Flexible Alternating Projection (FLEX-AP)" in 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI) , pp. 1-5, Athens, Greece, IEEE, 2024.

    [C4]. A. Giri, L. Kumar and T. Gandhi, "Robust EEG Source Localization Using Subspace Principal Vector Projection Technique" in 28th European Signal Processing Conference (EUSIPCO) , pp. 1075-1079, Amsterdam, Netherlands, IEEE, 2020.

    [C3]. A. Giri, L. Kumar and T. Gandhi, "Head Harmonics based EEG Dipole Source Localization" in 53rd Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers (ACSSC) , pp. 2149-2153, Pacific Grove, CA, USA, 2019, IEEE.

    [C2]. A. Giri, L. Kumar and T. Gandhi, "EEG Dipole Source Localization in Hemispherical Harmonics Domain" in 2018 Asia-Pacific Signal and Information Processing Association Annual Summit and Conference (APSIPA ASC) , pp. 679-684, Honolulu, HI, USA, 2018, IEEE.

    [C1]. S.K. Wupadrasta, A. Giri, L. Kumar and T. Gandhi, "Hemispherical Harmonics based Brain Source Localization" in 2018 Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM), Singapore.

    TEACHING

    Autumn 2024 at IIT Roorkee
    • ECN 391: Technical Communication
    • TMI 102: Tinkering & Mentoring Lab - ECE Department Course Coordinator
    Teaching Assistant in the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Delhi
    • ELL 824 Selected Topics in Information Processing II, Semester I 2020 - 21
    • ELL 319 Digital Signal Processing , Semester II 2019 - 20
    • ELL 100 Basic Electrical Engineering, Semester I 2019 - 20
    • ELL 319 Digital Signal Processing , Semester II 2018 - 19
    • ELL 319 Digital Signal Processing , Semester I 2018 - 19
    • ELL 319 Digital Signal Processing , Semester I 2017 - 18
    Mentor of M.Tech students research project
    • Boundary Element Forward Data model, semester I 2019-20
    • Study mathematical equations of forward model., semester I 2018-19
    Mentor of B.Tech students research project
    • Deep Learning Model for Motor Imagery Brain Computer Interface, Semester II 2019-20
    • Dipole Source Localization, Semester II 2018-19
    Mentor of B.Tech students summer project
    • Interference suppression in EEG source Analysis, Summer Break 2019
    • Comparative analysis of various brain source localization method, Summer Break 2018

    TEAM

    Ph.D. Students
    Shailendra Yadav

    Shailendra Yadav

    Email ID: shailendra_y@ece.iitr.ac.in

    Nakul Giri

    Nakul Giri

    (Co-supervised by Prof. Balasubramanian Raman from CSE Department)

    Email ID: nakul_g@ece.iitr.ac.in

    NEWS

    • June 2024 : Our paper titled "EEG Source Imaging Enhances Motor Imagery Classification" has been accepted for presentation at the ESANN 2024 to be held in Bruges, Belgium.
    • June 2024 : Joined as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, India.
    • February 2024 : Our paper titled "Localization of Spatially Extended Brain Sources by Flexible Alternating Projection (FLEX-AP)" has been accepted for presentation at the ISBI 2024 to be held in Athens, Greece.
    • November 2023 : Outstanding Trainee Speaker Award at the 2023 MEG North America Workshop, and a $400 honorarium to offset travel expenses.
    • August 2023 : Our paper's abstract titled "Estimating the Number of Active Sources in MEG based on an F-Ratio Method" has been accepted at the Brain Informatics Conference, New york.
    • August 2022 : IIT Delhi Press Release - IIT Delhi Researchers Propose Non-invasive, Time Efficient and Patient Friendly Diagnostic Tool for Epileptogenic Zone Detection.
    • July 2022 : Joined McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT as a postodctoral Associate. Really excited!
    • April 2022 : I was invited as the event speaker at the Brain Mapping and Artificial Intelligence Workshop 2022. I had presented my work on "Brain Source Localization Based BCI Application".
    • Mar 2022 : Our paper entiteld "Source Aware Deep Learning Framework for Hand Kinematic Reconstruction using EEG Signal" has been accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics.
    • Mar 2022 : I have successfully defended my thesis entiteld "Spatial and Anatomical Harmonics Domain based Brain Source Localization".
    • Feb 2022 : Several online articles and newspaper clipping in press about me getting a Post-Doc position at MIT, USA.
    • Dec 2021 : Our paper entitled "Subspace Principal Vector Projection Technique based Interference Suppression for BCI Application" received BEST PAPER AWARD in the International Conference on Advances in Communication & Computing Technology (ICACCT-2021).
    • Aug 2021 : [1],[2],[3] and [4] You tube interview about my research.

    CONTACT

    Amita Giri

    Assistant Professor

    South Block S-223

    Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering
               Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee

    Email: amita.giri@ece.iitr.ac.in

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    Last Updated

    17-June-2024

    JOIN OUR TEAM

    Join Our Research Group at IIT Roorkee
    Research Group

    Prospective Students

    Are you passionate about cutting-edge research and innovation? Our research group at IIT Roorkee welcomes enthusiastic Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. students to join us.

    How to Apply

    We encourage prospective students to visit our Research Page to learn more about the exciting projects and areas we are working on. If you find our research aligns with your interests and career goals, we would love to hear from you! Prospective students are encouraged to contact via email.

    Please send us your CV and a brief cover letter detailing your research interests and why you would like to join our team.

    Email Your Application To:

    amita.giri@ece.iitr.ac.in with the subject line: "Interested in the MITA Lab for Bachelor's Project/ Master's Project/ Internship/ Ph.D./ Postdoc"