Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Science Foundation's Division of Information and Intelligent Systems awarded the University of Massachusetts a $430,468 Project Grant (CFDA 47.070: Computer and Information Science and Engineering) beginning July 15, 2026, and concluding June 30, 2031. This CAREER award supports the development of next-generation neuromorphic wearable devices for continuous, clinical-grade brain activity monitoring in ambulatory settings. The research will produce wearable systems that capture the full spectrum of brainwave signals, including high-frequency components, while maintaining extended battery life and minimal user burden. Key deliverables include a programmable, humidity-regulated electrode with closed-loop thermal control; a neuromorphic signal processing pipeline that efficiently converts signals to sparse spikes and enables runtime energy-accuracy optimization; and a two-tiered clinical architecture providing on-device seizure detection with smartphone-based seizure prediction capabilities up to 60 minutes in advance.

The project integrates three interdependent research thrusts addressing sensing, computing, and clinical integration. Thrust One develops robust electrode technology capable of stabilizing skin-electrode impedance across thousands of reuse cycles to enable high-frequency signal capture under motion. Thrust Two creates spiking neural networks (SNNs) with dynamic reconfiguration capabilities without retraining, optimizing computational efficiency for wearable deployment. Thrust Three establishes a clinical platform integrating advanced detection and prediction algorithms for real-world deployment across clinical care, education, and open science communities. The resulting platform is designed to support patients and caregivers in detecting and predicting neurological events outside clinical settings, with potential extensions to early dementia detection and sleep monitoring applications.