Maysam Chamanzar
Dr. William D. and Nancy W. Strecker Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Maysam Chamanzar is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. His active areas of research are at the interface of photonics, bioMEMs, and neuroscience. Using basic principles of physics and advanced engineering techniques, Chamanzar's group is designing and implementing novel devices and methods to address outstanding needs in biology and medicine. His main application areas of interest are neuroscience and biophotonics. His research on neuroengineering includes developing next generation multimodal (acousto-opto-electrical) neural interfaces to understand the neural basis of brain function and realize functional brain-machine interfaces. The biophotonics front is focused on developing efficient hybrid photonic-plasmonic-fluidic on-chip systems for point of care diagnostics, environmental monitoring, imaging, and spectroscopy. The scope of research encompasses theoretical design and simulation, fabrication and packaging, experimental benchtop characterization, as well as in vivo, in vitro, and ex vivo tests on biological systems.
Chamanzar received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2012. He was with the EECS department at University of California Berkeley as a postdoc researcher and later as a research scientist before joining CMU. Chamanzar has published more than 25 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers, and he holds three pending patents. He is the recipient of a number of awards, including the SPIE research excellence award and GTRIC innovation award, and became the finalist for the OSA Emil Wolf best paper award and Edison innovation award. He is the director of the Biophotonics and Neurotechnologies Lab and also the Shared Photonics Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University. Chamanzar is also a faculty member of the Carnegie Mellon Neuroscience Institute (CMNI) and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC).
Using Light to Enlighten Brain Function
Novel Strategies for Sensing and Stimulating the Brain Noninvasively and Precisely
Education
2012 Ph.D., Photonics, Minor: Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology
2008 MS, Electronic Microsystems, Georgia Institute of Technology
2005 MS, Microwaves and Optics, Sharif University of Technology
2003 BS, Communications Engineering and Electronics Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic)
Affiliations
Research Interests
Media mentions
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Chamanzar receives $650,000 grant for surgical device company
A company co-founded by ECE’s Maysam Chamanzar received an NSF grant to develop surgical devices. These devices give real-time feedback to doctors during surgery to ensure proper implementation.
CMU College of Engineering
Engineering faculty awarded professorships
ECE faculty Franz Franchetti, Gianluca Piazza, Shawn Blanton, Maysam Chamanzar, and Vyas Sekar were awarded professorship titles in April and May 2021.
CMU Engineering
NSF CAREER grants awarded to engineering faculty
Four engineering faculty received NSF CAREER awards to support their education and research goals.
CMU Engineering
A universal port for the brain
The team is creating a smart port to the brain that will use artificial intelligence to selectively stimulate and record from the brain.
Atoms Talk
Chamanzar quoted on optical biointerfaces
ECE’s Maysam Chamanzar was quoted on Atoms Talk on an optical platform his team invented.
CMU Engineering
Parylene photonics enable future optical biointerfaces
Maysam Chamanzar’s team has developed a new class of materials for optical biointerfaces.
Science Daily
Cohen-Karni and Chamanzar featured on neural communication
BME/MSE’s Tzahi Cohen-Karni and ECE’s Maysam Chamanzar were featured in Science Daily for their new technology that enhances scientists' ability to communicate with neural cells using light.
Wevolver
Chamanzar featured in Wevolver
Work by ECE’s Maysam Chamanzar and his team on developing a novel neural interface made from stainless steel for much safer, high-density neural recording was featured in Wevolver.
CMU Engineering
A new platform for neural recording from large brains
A team led by Maysam Chamanzar is developing a novel neural interface made from stainless steel for much safer, high-density neural recording.
CMU Engineering
A remote control for neurons
A novel material for controlling human neuron cells could deepen our understanding of cell interactions and enable new therapies in medicine.
CMU Engineering
Illuminating neurons deep in the brain
An interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers at CMU has produced a new type of neural probe with an innovative design, improving the way researchers study neurons deep in the brain.
CMU Engineering
Breakthrough in optical endoscopy using ultrasound
One day, scopes may no longer need to be inserted into the body, such as down the throat or under the skin, to reach the stomach, brain, or any other organs for examination.