Biomedical Sensing and Signal Processing; Speech Production; Acoustic/Speech Modeling and Signal Processing

Postdoctoral Fellows
- Pavel Prado (PhD in Neuroscience, UCM, Cuba). Topic of research: ``Oscillatory auditory responses during voice production'', 2016-present.
- Gabriel Galindo (PhD in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM, Chile). Topic of research:``Subject-specific modeling of voice production'', 2017-present.
- Gabriel Alzamendi (PhD in Biomedical Engineering, FICH-UNL, Argentina). Topic of research: ``Modeling biomechanical and aero-acoustic mechanisms of vocal hyperfunction'', 2018-present.

Graduate students - Current (2018)
- Victor Espinoza (PhD in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM) Thesis: ``Stationary and dynamic aerodynamic assessment of vocal hyperfunction using enhanced supraglottal and subglottal inverse filtering methods'', Role: Advisor, PhD qualification exam approved in November 2014. Expected graduation July 2018.
- Juan Pablo Cortes (PhD in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``On the role of aerodynamic features in the automatic classification of vocal hyperfunction using machine learning techniques'', Role: Advisor, PhD qualification exam approved in March 2017. Expected graduation December 2018.
- Rodrigo Manriquez (MS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Modeling laryngeal muscle activation noise for low-order physiological based speech synthesis '', Role: Advisor, Expected graduation December 2018.
- Juan Mucarquer (MS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Nonlinear filtering of articulatory and laryngeal muscle effects in the EEG signal '', Role: Advisor, Expected graduation December 2018.
- Aland Astudillo (PhD in Biophysics, Universidad de Valparaiso), Thesis: ``Diferencias en estados de reposo de EEG y asociación con el estado cognitivo durante el envejecimiento normal''. Role: Co-Advisor. Expected graduation December 2019.
- Jhosmary Cuadros (PhD in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: TBD, Role: Advisor. Expected graduation April 2021.
- Hugo Velez (PhD in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: TBD, Role: Advisor. Expected graduation April 2022.
- Marharyta Ramanenka (PhD in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: TBD, Role: Advisor. Expected graduation April 2022.

Graduate students - Former
- Gabriel Galindo (PhD in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Development of patient-specific numerical models of voice production using laryngeal high-speed videoendoscopy and a multimodal Bayesian scheme'', Role: Advisor, PhD exam approved in July 2017.
- Gabriel Galindo (PhD in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Análisis de componentes independientes y descomposición de modo empírico para la clasificación de tareas de imaginería motora en interfaz cerebro computador'', Role: External reviewer, PhD exam approved in January 2018.
- Mario Vergara López (MS in Electrical Engineering, Universidad de Chile), Thesis: ``Caracterización y predicción de riesgo criminal basado en kernels espacio-temporales incluyendo fenomenología espacial'', Role: External reviewer, thesis completed in July 2017.
- Manuel Diaz (MS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Estimación de señales clínicas vocales utilizando técnicas de amplificación de movimiento en videos de laringoscopía de alta velocidad'', Role: Advisor. Thesis completed in Nov 2015.
- Marco Encina (MS in Electrical Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis:`` Vocal Fold Modeling through the port-Hamiltonian Systems Approach'', Role: Co-Advisor. thesis completed in Nov 2015.
- Rodrigo Alejandro Lobos (MS in Electrical Engineering, Universidad de Chile), Thesis: ``Application of statistical signal processing techniques in natural rock textures characterization and astrometry'', Role: Co-Advisor, thesis completed in July 2015, grade: 7.0/7.0.
- Andres Llico (MS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM) Thesis: ``Real-time biofeedback and network connectivity for a Voice Health Monitor'', Role: Advisor, thesis completed in Nov 2013, grade: 100/100.
- Gabriel Zamora (MS in Computer Science, UTFSM) Thesis: ``Fractal data compression applied to audio signals'', Role: Co-Advisor, thesis completed in March 2014, grade: 100/100.
- Minseok Kwon (PhD in Electrical Engineering, Purdue University), Thesis: ``Modification of Computational Auditory Scene Analysis (CASA) for Noise-robust Acoustic Feature'', Role: Co-advisor, thesis completed in Feb 2014, grade:pass (pass/fail scale).

Undergraduate students - Current
- Lucas Salazar, (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Segmentación Automática de la Glotis en Videos Endoscópicos de Alta Velocidad utilizando colores y formas características de las Regiones Glotales'', Role: Advisor, Expected graduation August 2018.
- Constanza Lorca, (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Sistema de monitoreo y procesamiento de voz: Procesamiento de señales en tiempo real '', Role: Advisor, Expected graduation December 2018.
- Silvana Papagallo, (BS in Telematic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Sistema de monitoreo y procesamiento de voz: Esquema de biofeedback para plataforma smartphone'', Role: Advisor, Expected graduation December 2018.
- Rodrigo Manriquez (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Modeling laryngeal muscle activation noise for low-order physiological based speech synthesis '', Role: Advisor, Expected graduation December 2018.
- Juan Mucarquer (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Nonlinear filtering of articulatory and laryngeal muscle effects in the EEG signal '', Role: Advisor, Expected graduation December 2018.

Undergraduate students - Former
- Victor Guerra (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: `` Modelado de conectividad cerebral en reposo con modelos autoregresivos multivariados y estimación eficiente de su orden", Role: Advisor.
- Roberto Farias (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: `` Neural network inverse filtering scheme for neck surface acceleracion signals" , Role: Advisor.
- Sebastian Marquez (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Automatic sleep apnea detection using neck surface acceleration", Role: Advisor.
- Felipe Fernandez (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``A wireless EEG scheme for telemonitoring". Role: Co-Advisor.
- Francisco Garcia (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Voice activity detection for neck surface acceleration signals under noise". Role: Co-Advisor.
- Felipe Acevedo (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Voice activity detection for neck surface acceleration signals". Role: Co-Advisor.
- Manuel Diaz (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Estimación de señales clínicas vocales utilizando técnicas de amplificación de movimiento en videos de laringoscopía de alta velocidad'', Role: Advisor.
- Felipe Vera (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis: ``Sensor de salud vocal usando un sensor con acelerómetro y una plataforma de Smartphone'', Role: Advisor.
- Marco Encina (BS in Electrical Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis:`` Vocal Fold Modeling through the port-Hamiltonian Systems Approach'', Role: Co-Advisor
- Javier Salazar (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM). Thesis: ``Medicion del Tiempo de Vuelo de Particulas Cargadas y Neutras en el Vacio'', Role: Co-advisor. Expected graduation: December 2015.
- Rodrigo Mujica (BS in Electrical Engineering, UTFSM), Thesis:``Algoritmo para la Gestión de Calidad de Servicio Ofrecida por Enlaces 3G'', Role: Co-Advisor
- Andres Llico (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM) Thesis: ``Real-time biofeedback and network connectivity for a Voice Health Monitor'', Role: Advisor, thesis completed in Nov 2013, grade: 100/100.
- Natalia Rebagliati (BS in Electronic Engineering, UTFSM). Thesis: ``Diseno de un sonometro mediante un computador portatil'', Role: Co-advisor, thesis completed in Sept 2014, grade: 95/100.
- Francisco Cortés (BS in Acoustical Engineering, Universidad Vicente Perez Rosales), Thesis: ``Implementation of a phonetic database of 300 Chilean voices'', Role: Advisor, 2004.
- Juan Vásquez (BS in Acoustical Engineering, Universidad Vicente Perez Rosales), Thesis: ``Implementation of a phonetic database of 300 Chilean voices'', Role: Advisor, 2004.
- Cristian Cardenas (BS in Acoustical Engineering, Universidad Vicente Perez Rosales), Thesis: ``Acoustical study of the Chilean social housing'', Advisor, 2003.
- Dirk Fox (BS in Acoustical Engineering, Universidad Vicente Perez Rosales), Thesis: ``Noise control system for a specific urban bus model in Santiago'', Role: Advisor, 2002.
- Eduardo Fuentes (BS in Acoustical Engineering, Universidad Vicente Perez Rosales), Thesis: ``Noise control system for a specific urban bus model in Santiago'', Role: Advisor, 2002.

My contributions and research interests lie on the development of advanced tools for speech communication, audio technologies, and biomedical acoustics. This focus is centered on digital signal and image processing, system analysis, and medical applications, and encompasses numerical, experimental, and clinical components. My recent efforts have revolved around developing models of nonlinear human speech production and applying them to improve the performance of speech enhancement tools and the diagnosis, therapy, and understanding of voice pathologies. I work on the development of bio-inspired models that can be used to investigate problems that are challenging to explore by direct observation and controlled conditions. This approach is known as “physiological modeling", i.e., models based on assumptions that have measurable physical counterparts and that are physiologically meaningful, and are high-performance models since they account for a large number of complex nonlinear biological phenomena.