Dr Arman Ahnood

Arman Ahnood is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering (Electrical and Biomedical Engineering).

Dr Arman Ahnood received M.Eng. in engineering from University of Cambridge in 2006 and Ph.D. in electronics and electrical engineering from University College London in 2011.

Prior to joining RMIT as a Lecturer, he held research position at the School of Physics, University of Melbourne - where he contributed to development of bionic devices for 7 years. Earlier he was a research associate at the University College London and University of Cambridge, U.K working on the design of novel device structures and circuits to mitigate the inherent limitations of disordered semiconductors. Between 2006 and 2007, as a Design Engineer at Hoare-Lea, London, U.K., he was involved in a number of renewable energy projects.

He has done internships at Philips Research Lab, U.K., on compact modeling of silicon thin-film transistors, and at Genapta, U.K., on design of high-speed and accurate motion control system for florescence array spectroscopy. His research interests include bionic microdevices, point-of-care devices, disorder biomaterial and interfaces.

Course coordinator:

• OENG1131 - Advanced Biomedical Electronics and Instrumentation
• OENG1137 - Rehabilitation Engineering

Research activities:

• A novel platform technology for long-term subcutaneous neurophysiology: This project aims to develop a novel miniature device for subcutaneous and tetherless brain sensing. It addresses the lack of a device solution for brain-sensing that combines ultra-long-term reliable sensing capability and small dimensions for minimally-invasive procedures. We achieve this through our novel electrode architecture that significantly enhances the quality and reliability of recorded brain signals. We introduce a platform technology designed for subscalp anatomy with future use in various brain-machine interfacing applications relying on reliable, long-term and easy-to-implant systems. This project's device manufacturing, training, and intellectual property are expected to strengthen Australia's position in bioelectronics.
• Diamond electrodes for bimodal cellular control: A new tool for investigating intercellular communication. Currently, techniques for probing cellular functions are either well-suited to controlling a limited number of individual inputs or a large number of complete cells. This projects aims to address these limitations by utilising cutting-edge fabrication techniques to create an optically controlled nanoscale array of diamond electrodes, capable of modulating a large number of single cellular inputs with precision. This technology will allow researchers to manipulate cellular processes with more control than ever before, potentially gaining insights useful for understanding brain function, memory formation, or cell death.
• A Smart Surgical Tool for Precision Brain Tumour Removal: Integrating optical sensing with existing surgical instruments using in tumour resection to improve outcomes of fluorescence-guided surgery.
• A point-of-care device for blood bilirubin detection: A new low-cost and easy-to-use tool for measuring the bilirubin level in a drop of blood for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and cirrhotic adults. Bilirubin is useful for assessing liver function. Optical and chemical methods have long been used for blood bilirubin biosensing. While spectrophotometric techniques provide more accurate results, measurements may not be practical due to the instrument complexity and space requirements as they require volumetric equipment and reagents are sometimes preprocessed. These steps are rather time-consuming and can be detrimental in cases of emergency.

• M.Eng. Engineering - University of Cambridge (2006) 
• Ph.D. Electronics and Electrical Engineering - University College London (2011)