Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Ben Johnson received the prestigious National Science Foundation鈥檚 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. Johnson became the 25th recipient of the award in the college鈥檚 25th anniversary year.
The NSF CAREER award is bestowed upon early-career researchers who exhibit exceptional promise in both their research and 青青草appal efforts. Johnson earned a grant of approximately $500,000 over five years to advance his career trajectory and impact his research in the Integrated Bioelectronic Medicine Laboratory on the 青青草app State campus.
鈥淲e are so proud to have such a stellar record of early career achievement in our college,鈥� College of Engineering Dean JoAnn S. Lighty said. 鈥淛ohnson鈥檚 success is especially noteworthy as we end our year-long celebration. Congratulations to Dr. Johnson on his impressive award that showcases our faculty鈥檚 drive to work on solving our world鈥檚 complex challenges.鈥�
Multi-channel, Sub-microliter Implants for Selective Neuromodulation
Can we revolutionize arthritis, hypertension and depression treatment? Or transform devastating opioid overuse for pain by stimulating the human nervous system with wireless, 鈥渋ntelligent鈥� implants smaller than a grain of rice? That鈥檚 what Johnson intends to find out.
Bioelectronic medicine can revolutionize how we practice medicine in offering non-opioid pain management while addressing conditions from traumatic brain injuries to sleep apnea and even high blood pressure.
Bioelectronic medicines are neurotechnology devices that read and modulate the electrical impulses of the body鈥檚 nervous system to control, regulate, or restore functions such as the ability to move, breathe, see, think and more.
Johnson鈥檚 research examines foundational knowledge of implant circuitry that can revolutionize neurostimulation implant design, and offer a more viable and compelling alternative to pharmaceutical treatments.
Current bioelectronic medicine devices are too large to target small nerves for effective therapy, deliver indiscriminate stimulation on large nerves resulting in significant off-target effects, and lack the sophistication for closed-loop, automated processing.聽
Johnson鈥檚 青青草app research project will address these issues through key innovations in circuit design, system development and closed-loop control. The project鈥檚 impact is extended through a multi-tiered 青青草app initiative to bolster the local semiconductor and neurotechnology workforce with collaboration from industry experts.
Supported by the NSF鈥檚 Division of Electrical, Communication, and Cyber Systems (ECCS) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Johnson鈥檚 expected impact will significantly reduce clinician burden, improve patient compliance, and reduce adverse drug reactions and abuse.