Margaret (Maggie) Chen

Maggie is a fourth-year student in the Faculty of Arts & Science with a double major in Neuroscience and Computer Science. Knowing she wanted to conduct neurotechnology research, Maggie reviewed the website for the Centre for International Experience looking for institutions that had strong research focus in this area. Maggie then applied to the Summer Research Exchange Program and was accepted to the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne’s Excellence Research Internship Program. As part of the Internship Program, Maggie worked for nearly four months in the Translational Neural Engineering lab at the Campus Biotech in Geneva, Switzerland. 

During her research internship, Maggie analyzed electromyography data from epidural spinal cord stimulation on a patient with spasticity-induced loss of fine motor control in their leg. She used signal processing, activation threshold identification, and recruitment curve data analysis methods in MATLAB to understand which selective muscle activation and suppression strategies may reduce the patient’s leg spasticity. 

Maggie encourages other students interested in research to talk with potential research supervisors about their supervision styles. Does your research supervisor prefer a more involved or hands off approach? For Maggie, it was important to find a lab that allowed her the opportunity to work independently as she feels this gave her the greatest opportunity for growth. 

Maggie is currently interning at a biotech start-up as part of the HMB491 class with Professor Naomi Levvy-Strumpf. She is hoping to continue onto graduate studies as she wants to research and develop technological solutions to biomedical needs and problems.

Research Type(s): International Research Experiences, Partnership-Based Experiential Learning