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Since June 2020 I am a Research Fellow of the Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre (ABIC), University of Aberdeen (UoA), Scotland. The appointment corresponds to a 2 year RSAT-funded project led by Dr. V. Vuksanovic, involving the development of novel neuroimaging-informed ways to classify Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment. From January 2020 until January 2021, I was also appointed Honorary Research Fellow of the Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology (ICSMB), UoA. Since 2016, I hold a permanent position as Adjunct Professor of the Universidad de la República (UdelaR), Uruguay (Associate Professor and Professor are the remaining positions in the tenure track), which I maintain as Honorary whilst being a Research Fellow. My position is based at the Physics Institute (IFFC) within the Non-linear Physics Group (group's web).
I have a Ph.D. in Physics [2014] from the UoA, which was supervised by Dr. M. S. Baptista and Prof. C. Grebogi, entitled "The mathematical principles behind the transmission of Energy and Synchronisation in Complex Networks". The thesis got nominated to the Springer theses award by the UoA, which after winning, was published as a book (ISBN 978-3-319-22216-5). Its outcomes (including several publications) involve exact and approximate results for the behaviour and stability of complex systems, which are valid for a wide range of systems, but are particularly suitable for modern power-grid models. Before my Ph.D., I got a M.Sc. degree from the UdelaR for the thesis "Synchronisation of coupled electronic oscillators" under the supervision of Prof. A. C. Martí and Dr. C. Cabeza. The thesis considered the case of an electronic oscillator model for a firefly, implemented experimentally under a dual RC circuit and interacting by means of light pulses. We also studied the system analytically and numerically, obtaining general conclusions for generic piecewise oscillators.
Qualifications
PhD, Physics
University of Aberdeen
2014
Thesis: The mathematical principles behind the transmission of Energy and Synchronisation in Complex Networks
Supervisors: Dr. Murilo S. Baptista and Prof. Celso Grebogi
MSc, Physics
Universidad de la República
2010
Thesis: Synchronisation of coupled electronic oscillators
Supervisors: Prof. Arturo C. Martí and Dr. Cecilia Cabeza
BSc, Physics
Universidad de la República
2008
Honours project: Schlieren method implementation for the detection of a flowing flow
Supervisor: Dr. Ismael Núñez and Dr. Cecilia Cabeza
External Memberships and Affiliations
Universidad de la República (UdelaR), Instituto de Física de Facultad de Ciencias (IFFC), Montevideo, Uruguay - Adjunct Professor (temporary on-leave)
Programa de Desarrollo de las Ciencias Básicas (PEDECIBA), Ministerio de Educacióon y Cultura (MEC), Uruguay - Researcher (Grado 3)
Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI), Agencial Nacional de Investigación e Innovación (ANII), Uruguay - Associate Researcher
Prizes and Awards
Young Researchers Award – Dynamics Days Europe conference (supported by the European Physical Society, AIP publishing, and the Chaos journal), Greece 2016
Springer theses award: “the best of the best” – Spinger, Germany 2015
My research interests are focused on Complexity issues. In general, the complex systems that I research involve Coupled Dynamical Systems, namely, many non-trivially interacting sub-systems. I try to measure, explain, and/or predict their collective behaviour (for example, the emergence of synchronization or chaotic dynamics) in terms of how they are inter-connected, namely, in terms of the topological features of the underlying network topology (i.e., Graph Theory).
In particular, I am fascinated by Network Neuroscience research, where Complexity-challenges abound -- neurons in the brain create a myriad of dynamical behaviours due to their intricate connectivity and complex substrate and our observations can only access these behaviours by indirect measurements. I am intereseted in questions such as, how do we manage to infer the brain's connectivity from indirect measurements (e.g., EEGs or MRIs)? how do particular pathologies (e.g., Alzheimer's disease or chronic depression) affect the brain's connectivity? what data-driven conclusions can we draw from studying different states of consciousness (e.g., REM sleep)? and how can we develop/improve methods (both, in data mining and analysis) to increase our unserstanding of these issues?
I am also interested in Fluid Dynamics, specifically, in turbulence and numerical simulations of Navier-Stokes equations; in the mathematical properties of Non-linear Dynamical Systems, mainly, with respect to bifurcation theory; in Non-equilibrium Statistical Mechanics, with a focus on the statistical properties of time-delayed systems and of neural/biological networks; and finally, in the development of novel Information Theory and Data Analysis techniques.
Current Research
I am a Research Fellow on a Roland Sutton Academic Trust (RSAT) funded project led by Dr. V. Vuksanovic. The project is focused on developing a model of brain-impaired-functions in Alzheimer’s disease from large-scale brain networks, rather than on existing diagnostic categories. The objective of the overall project is to develop novel neuroimaging-informed ways to classify Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment. Neuroimaging-defined connectomes will be linked to specific behavioral and cognitive scores, aiming to help in early diagnosis.