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Combining artificial intelligence (AI) and smart devices could save lives by detecting chronic illnesses sooner. This is the underlying purpose behind the research of Behnaz Ghoraani, Ph.D., an associate professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, who was recently one of four 51�Թ��� faculty earning a prestigious early-career award from the National Science Foundation.

Ghoraani’s $524,191 grant will help fund a five-year project titled, “CAREER: Advanced Data Analytics for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease Using Wearables and Smartphone.”

Ghoraani, also a faculty fellow of the Institute for Sensing and Embedded Network Systems Engineering, is the founder and director of the Biomedical Signal and Image Analysis Lab at 51�Թ���. The multidisciplinary research of her lab focuses on applying novel engineering techniques and machine learning to find solutions for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of illness, particularly those that occur more frequently with age, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cardiovascular disease. Ultimately, she hopes her work can lead to more individually targeted treatments.

Ghoraani’s journey to studying biomedical sensors and Alzheimer’s disease first began with her work as an engineer. She earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the Sharif University of Technology and her master’s degree from the AmirKabir University of Technology, both in Tehran, Iran.

It wasn’t until her doctorate degree that Ghoraani discovered she could combine her passion for engineering with her interest in human health. During that time, she said, “I realized I wanted to be able to implement my own ideas in the lab and use those ideas to help people to receive better healthcare.”

Ghoraani received her doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. She was also a postdoctoral fellow in faculty of medicine at University of Toronto, where she developed novel and effective techniques to better detect speech pathologies.

Now, for this new grant, she and her team will tackle Alzheimer’s disease to develop a cognitive screening tool for early detection and monitoring at home, without the need for specialized equipment or staff. The way that motor function in the body is affected by the cognitive function can be investigated as one of the early signs in Alzheimer’s disease, she said. So, for the next five years, she and her team will develop algorithms, coupled with wearables and a smartphone that can detect at-risk individuals.

“I am very excited about this project and this award because of the growth opportunity it brings my research,” she said. “And, because I hope to make a change in this disease and improve people’s lives affected by it.”