Olivier Burta

Right after completing my Bachelor studies in Engineering at VUB, I was given an opportunity for a summer job at the AIMS lab. This experience sparked my interest in neurosciences for the first time, an interest that continues expanding to this day.

Two years later, I obtained a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at VUB, specializing in Neuro-engineering. Throughout that time, I trained my neurophysiological data analysis skills during my Master’s thesis at AIMS. The goal was to better understand the functional brain network dynamics underlying a cognitive task, and how this is affected in Multiple Sclerosis. This was made possible by using an unsupervised AI tool capable of providing brain states, each carrying a functional role during cognitive task execution.

Based on my ambition to pursue and expand my research in this field, I was awarded an FWO PhD fellowship. Starting from November 2024, I will use neurophysiological data (both MEG and EEG) to expand on the work during my master’s thesis, and assess the sensitivity-to-change of the extracted cognitive biomarkers in a combined cognitive-motor rehabilitation trial.