Presented in partnership with our Interim 91ÑÇÉ« Circle Chair, Christopher Perry, Associate Vice-President Research (AVPR), we are excited to welcome you back to Keele campus for the 91ÑÇÉ« Circle Lecture series. Hear from 91ÑÇÉ«'s leading faculty members on a wide range of interesting topics that speak to some of the key themes that define 91ÑÇÉ«. Join us on Nov. 14 in the Life Sciences Building.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Medical Devices: From research to real-world impact
Neda Salahandish, Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, and CEO, WearDOXX
Dr. Salahandish will explore how innovative medical technologies can move from research ideas to real-world solutions that improve healthcare. Drawing on examples from her research, she will discuss the development of diagnostic and prognostic medical devices, including electrochemical biosensors, microfluidic point-of-care technologies, wearable devices, and AI-enabled health platforms. The talk will highlight how identifying clinical needs and building collaborations with clinicians and industry can accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into practical healthcare solutions. She will also share insights from the journey from academic research to commercialization and entrepreneurship, along with key lessons learned along the way.
AI at the Dentist’s Chair: Transforming periodontal disease detection with DePERIO
Ebrahim Ghafar-Zadeh, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Gum disease is one of the most common oral health conditions, yet early detection can be challenging and often depends on specialized clinical assessment. In this presentation, I will introduce DePERIO, an AI-enabled portable technology developed to support rapid and accessible assessment of periodontal health. I will discuss how advances in artificial intelligence, imaging, electronics, and biomedical engineering can come together to create new diagnostic tools and how these technologies could help bring oral health screening beyond traditional clinical settings. Attendees will also learn about the journey from an engineering research idea to a technology designed to address a real healthcare need.
Microchips Meet Mind: Tiny electronics that listen to, and heal, the brain
Hossein Kassiri, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Lassonde School of Engineering
Your brain runs on electricity, and engineers are now building microchips that can listen to it and even talk back. In this talk, Professor Hossein Kassiri shares how his lab designs tiny, wireless devices that detect epileptic seizures and stop them before they spread, bring hospital-quality brain monitoring into a comfortable headband, and could one day restore sight to people with retinal diseases. You will learn how brain implants actually work, what separates today's real advances from the headlines, and the questions society will need to answer as these technologies reach patients.
From Lab to Life: Multifunctional materials and systems that sense, adapt and perform
Garrett Melenka, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering and Gerd Grau, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Lassonde School of Engineering
Researchers at 91ÑÇÉ« are developing multifunctional materials and systems: materials that carry load while also sensing, communicating and responding to their environment. By combining expertise in composite materials and additive manufacturing with printed electronics and sensing systems, Garrett Melenka and Gerd Grau are embedding function directly into the structure of a part rather than adding it on afterward. Profs. Melenka and Gau have collaborated on a number of projects from multifunctional carbon fiber composites to wearable smart knee brace technology. These talks bring the two researchers together to discuss how multifunctional materials move from the lab bench to practical, real-world devices. They will highlight how their own background from different Engineering disciplines has informed this multidisciplinary collaboration.
Professor Melenka will introduce how fibre-reinforced composite materials are traditionally designed and manufactured, where the goal is a lightweight structure that does one job: carry load. He will contrast this with the materials and additive manufacturing methods his research lab is developing to create the structures of the future, in which continuous fibres, natural fibre reinforcements, and embedded sensing and energy storage are built into a part as it is made, so that the structure itself becomes the device
Professor Grau will give an introduction into how micro-scale devices and systems such as silicon chips, transistors, and sensors are traditionally manufactured. He will contrast this to some of the novel materials and methods that his research lab is developing to create the electronics of the future that are not limited to rigid chips, but flexible, stretchable, wearable, and three-dimensional.
For more information on The 91ÑÇÉ« Circle Lecture Series, call us at (416) 650-8159 or email us at alumnievents@yorku.ca.