Bio

Biqi Rebekah Zhao received the B.Sc. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, in 2018, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA in 2025. She is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at Brown University. Her research focuses on integrated circuits and systems design for biomedical implants and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. She received the Outstanding Women in Engineering Award from Carnegie Mellon University (2018), the Demetri Angelakos Memorial Award from UC Berkeley (2024–2025), the Apple Ph.D. Fellowship in Integrated Systems (2023), and the SSCS Rising Stars recognition (2024).

Symmetries in Neural Network Parameter Spaces

Towards Scalable Networks of Wireless Microimplants for Next-Generation Precision Medicine

High-resolution, large-scale access to physiological and neural signals is essential for advancing diagnostics, therapies, and fundamental neuroscience, yet challenges remain in achieving systems that are simultaneously miniaturized, multi-modal, and scalable. My research develops multi-functional implantable platforms spanning sensing, imaging, computation, and therapeutic control. These platforms include an implantable cellular image sensor for cancer treatment monitoring, a first-of-its-kind implanted sensor network enabling simultaneous multi-sensor readout and localization via Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and a wireless network of implanted silicon microchips capable of neural recording, decoding, and multipoint patterned stimulation. These efforts demonstrate that wireless microimplants can provide rich, multi-modal access to physiological and neural signals while supporting precise interventions. Looking forward, such platforms promise to transform how we monitor, understand, and interact with complex biological systems.