Charlotte Garcia B.S., B.A., Ph.D.

I am a Post-doctoral Research Associate in Dr. Bob Carlyon's lab working on psychophysical and electrophysiological markers of spatial selectivity and temporal auditory processing in cochlear implant users. Specifically, I am currently working on objective measures of cortical responses to sustained, fast-rate, amplitude-modulated electrical stimuli using both Electrocochleography (EEG) and cochlear implant reverse telemetry approaches via direct stimulation. The project is called 'ALternating Frequency Interleaved Electrical Stimulation,' or ALFIES, thusly named completely coincidentally identically to Bob's dog (Carlyon, et al 2021; Guérit et al 2023). I also completed my Ph.D. at the CBU, was funded jointly by the W. D. Armstrong Trust for projects focused on the application of engineering in medicine and the Cambridge Trust, and was supervised by Bob Carlyon, Manohar Bance and Richard Turner. My doctoral research was primarily focused on using objective measures for improving speech perception in poor-performing cochlear implant users and involved the development and validation of the Panoramic ECAP Method. This method uses various electrophysiological measurements of neural responsiveness through cochlear implants (these are called Electrically-Evoked Compound Action-Potentials or ECAPs) to estimate patient-specific patterns of neural activation. This provides two estimates describing the interaction between a specific patient's cochlea and their implant: neural responsiveness and current spread. I have a particular interest in applied research, and as a result have emphasized the engineering aspects of this project to develop a tool that is clinically viable; in addition to validating the model's accuracy, I have developed a rapid procedure called 'SpeedCAP' that enables the PECAP model to be executed in under 10 minutes. My research interests also include pitch and music perception in hearing impaired listeners using various auditory technology platforms. I hold a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and a B.A. in Music Theory & Cognition from Northwestern University (Chicago, USA), and prior to joining the CBU she worked as a Biomedical Engineer in the healthcare industry developing and implementing multivariate process control systems for radio-frequency welding processes. I am a recipient of the Centre for Integrative Neurosciences Discovery (CIND)'s 2023 Early Career Researcher Award for her project entitled 'Personalising Cochlear Implant Healthcare: Translating the Panoramic ECAP Method from laboratory to clinic.' I am also the incoming chair of the MRC Cognition & Brain Science Unit's Equality and Diversity Committee from 2024.