The postdoctoral researcher from the Advanced Center for Electrical and Electronic Engineering, AC3E, Dr. Emiro Ibarra, was awarded the 2024 Fondecyt Postdoctoral grant for his work “Domain adaptation of subject-specific modeling for ambulatory assessment of laryngeal biomechanical components,” which is part of the projects the Center is working on, specifically the Biomedical Systems group.

This fund aims to motivate the productivity and scientific leadership of those who are starting in the world of research through scientific or technological initiatives that generate new knowledge or applications that impact the community.

The winning project, supervised by the AC3E deputy director, Dr. Matías Zañartu, consists of the development and validation of a methodology that, using an accelerometer placed on the neck surface and a numerical voice model combined with machine learning techniques, allows the non-invasive estimation of laryngeal biomechanical parameters such as: subglottic pressure, vocal fold collision pressure, and muscle activation. This would allow a better understanding of the condition of patients with vocal hyperfunction, that is, people who excessively use the muscles of the larynx when speaking, predisposing themselves to lesions in the laryngeal mucosa.

This work, led by Dr. Ibarra, would add to other science-based initiatives in which the Center is working, applying the principles of electrical and electronic engineering, for the development of medical devices, protocols, and other tools 1 that facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of pathological conditions of interest.