Andrew (Andy) Dykstra has joined the University of Miami College of Engineering (CoE) as an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME).
Dykstra’s research focuses on the neural basis of auditory perception and cognition and how such knowledge can be used to design better diagnostics and treatments for those with audiological and neurological disorders. He has extensive experience in electroencephalography (EEG), magneteoencephalography (MEG), intracranial EEG and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which are novel training avenues for students. His research uses multimodal neuroimaging and advanced analysis methods to examine the neurocognitive dynamics of audition – including which aspects of brain activity give rise to the conscious experience of sound – and how they’re affected by age, hearing loss or brain injury.
“The College of Engineering and the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine affords a unique opportunity to continue state-of-the-art research in auditory neuroscience and neural engineering,” says Dykstra. “I am excited to return to my alma mater and start my independent research career at such a prestigious university and health system.”
Dykstra received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Miami, a master’s degree in electrical engineering and doctoral degree in technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dykstra also has postdoctoral experience in the Department of Neurology at Heidelberg University (Germany) and the Brain and Mind Institute at Western University (Canada). He is a member of the Acoustical Society of America, the Association for Research in Otolaryngology and the Society for Neuroscience, as well as a lifetime voting member of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness.
“Dr. Dykstra’s interdisciplinary research will open a new chapter in brain and mind engineering at the University of Miami, reapproaching computers and human senses, as well as assist with diagnostics and treatments for patients suffering from audiological and neurological disorders,” says Jean-Pierre Bardet, dean of the College of Engineering. “We anticipate that his research will lead to breakthroughs in cognitive engineering.”
