Ramtin received his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Marche, Italy, followed by his master’s degree in Neuroengineering from University of Genoa, Italy. Working as a Research Scholar in the Neuroplasticity Lab at The City College of New York, he developed expertise in EEG signal processing. He is now a NIHR Newcastle BRC PhD student in Neuroscience.
Ramtin is supervised by Prof. Marcus Kaiser and his research focuses on assessing how the electrical activity of the brain is affected in the different forms of dementia. With this research he aims to contribute in a significant way to the research on biomarkers for dementia, and to provide new insights on the different underlying pathologies.
2018 – Sixth Biennial Conference on Resting State and Brain Connectivity: poster presentation.
2019 – TEDx Newcastle University: oral presentation.
2019 – British Neuroscience Association Festival: poster presentation.
2019 – International Lewy Body Dementia Conference: poster presentation.
2019 – NIHR Training Camp: poster presentation.
2019 – Annual Alliance for Healthy Ageing Conference: poster presentation
2020 – Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) Annual Meeting: poster presentation.
2020 – Alzheimer’s Association International Conference: poster presentation.
2020 – Newcastle University Translational Clinical Research Institute (NUTCRI) Live!
December 2019 – Weighted network measures reveal differences between dementia types: An EEG study – published and available online: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hbm.24896
May 2018 – Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Newcastle University competition – runner up.
June 2018 – Three Minute Thesis (3MT) North East Regional competition – runner up.
December 2018 – TEDx Newcastle University student competition – winner.
November 2019 – Dementia Platform UK Datathon workshop – selected as attendant.
2020 – Newcastle University Translational Clinical Research Institute (NUTCRI) Live! – poster winner.
The world population is becoming older and older. Ageing is sometimes associated with pathologies and consequent diseases. I believe that it is crucial for the scientific research to provide insights towards a healthy and good life for the affected people, make the healthcare systems more efficient and reduce the negative impact of these conditions on the families. Having never worked with any disease before my PhD, I am very motivated to explore this field of research and give a contribution to achieve this goal.
As a PhD student I am learning what research consists of. It has been the best opportunity for me to figure out whether I might really like it - and this was the case. In fact, my time as a trainee is flying away, probably due to the fact that I am very passionate about it. However, this does not mean that it has been “fun and games” all the time. Very challenging as well as more smooth times have helped me to shape my researcher skills and approach toward this job.
I am trying to assess how the electrical activity of the brain is affected in the different forms of dementia. Specifically, I am exploring how the information flow between the different areas of the brain is disrupted in this condition. This is relevant for supporting the research on electroencephalography (EEG) biomarkers for dementia, as well as providing insights on the pathologies. This latter aspect aims to support the development of targeted medication in the future.
The NIHR is a strong and extended platform. People within this network are incredibly supportive and motivated to push the quality of research forward. I always felt like having an ally next to me opening for me several opportunities and ways in order for me to make the best choices for my research.
The multidisciplinarity of BRC has always been for me a window to see how the research in other ageing related fields is developing. We should never forget that all these apparently different themes are in fact linked to each other. In order to contextualise what we are doing, it is fundamental to keep an eye outside our major field.
I had the chance to present my research with the Newcastle BRC at the TEDx Newcastle University 2019 conference. I consider this one of my best achievement in my career so far, as I believe that science communication and public engagement is crucial in order for my research to make an impact on the people.
The best advice I can offer to any PhD student is to make the most of this experience. Do not miss any opportunity that you will find on your path, as everything will add something to your personal development.
The nature reserves and parks surrounding it - a nice escape from the noise and rush of everyday life.
