Two Self-Funded International PhD Students Conduct Research Focusing on Wearable Sensing, Biomedical Signal Processing, and AI-Driven Health Technologies
Two self-funded PhD students from Spain are currently at Khalifa University鈥檚 Digital Medicine Lab, conducting research in wearable sensing, biomedical signal processing, and AI-driven health technologies, demonstrating the appeal of the University鈥檚 innovation ecosystem among international researchers as a destination for collaboration and knowledge exchange in digital health and biomedical engineering.
Pietro Chierico, affiliated with the Universitat Polit猫cnica de Val猫ncia (Spain), is visiting Khalifa University through the prestigious Erasmus-funded international mobility program, while Nayan Wadhwani is a PhD student from the University of Zaragoza, Spain. Their research projects at Digital Medicine Lab, headed by Dr. Mohamed Elgendi, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, are highly relevant to the UAE and the GCC region, particularly in digital health, preventive healthcare, and AI-enabled medical technologies. Dr. Mohamed Elgendi has been recognized among the world鈥檚 top from 2021 to 2025 in the annual Stanford University鈥揈lsevier ranking of global scientific impact. Both students are fully self-funding their six-month visits, reflecting the strength of the lab’s international reputation and their personal commitment to contributing to its research.聽
The development of reliable wearable monitoring and screening technologies can support early diagnosis, remote healthcare, and large-scale population monitoring, especially for sleep apnea and cardiovascular diseases. This also aligns with the UAE National Wellbeing Strategy 2031 and national priorities in AI-driven healthcare innovation.
Chierico is contributing to ongoing Khalifa University projects related to wearable photoplethysmography (PPG) sensing and biomedical signal processing. His activities include signal quality assessment of physiological signals, development of wearable sensing prototypes, software and microcontroller integration, and support for ongoing laboratory research activities. He is also contributing to scientific review work related to PPG signal processing and assisting in the development of practical demonstration modules for wearable sensing systems.
A bachelor鈥檚 graduate in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Chierico holds a double Master鈥檚 degree in Bioengineering jointly awarded by Politecnico di Milano and the University of Illinois at Chicago. During his Master鈥檚 thesis, he developed a prototype electroretinography (ERG) sensor for preclinical studies, focusing on biomedical signal acquisition, electronics, and sensor system design.
Nayan鈥檚 project at Khalifa University focuses on the development of AI-powered wearable tools for sleep apnea screening using PPG signals. The work aims to provide a low-cost and scalable alternative to laboratory polysomnography by integrating validated signal quality assessment pipelines, pulse rate variability analysis, and deep learning approaches for discovering apnea-related cardiovascular biomarkers.
Affiliated to the I3A Institute / BSICoS group (Biomedical Signal Interpretation and Computational Simulation) at the University of Zaragoza, Nayan鈥檚 doctoral research focuses on biomedical signal processing and artificial intelligence, particularly automated signal quality assessment of photoplethysmography (PPG) signals collected from wearable devices. He has also contributed to international initiatives such as the AI4Pain Challenge and Computing in Cardiology (CinC) 2025. Nayan was a visiting fellow at the University of Southampton during 2023鈥�2024.
Dr. Mohamed Elgendi said: 鈥淭he presence of talented PhD researchers from leading European institutions at our Digital Medicine Lab reflects the strong international appeal of Khalifa University as a hub for cutting-edge biomedical innovation. Our laboratories provide an interdisciplinary environment where expertise in wearable sensing, artificial intelligence, and biomedical engineering converges to address real-world healthcare challenges. We are proud to offer a collaborative ecosystem that attracts global talent and enables impactful research aligned with regional priorities in digital health and preventive medicine.鈥�
The Digital Medicine Lab at Khalifa University has supported multiple projects involving wearable cardiovascular monitoring, signal quality assessment, textile-integrated sensing systems, smartphone-based physiological sensing, and machine learning for healthcare applications. Over the past year, the Lab has hosted several visiting researchers and students. They included Saksham Bhutani from Carnegie Mellon University, Maksym Bondarenko from ETH Zurich, and Ahmed Dargouthy from CentraleSup茅lec, France.
Bhutani conducted a research visit and internship under Dr. Elgendi鈥檚 supervision, contributing to projects related to AI and wearable health technologies. Bondarenko completed his Master鈥檚 degree research under Dr. Elgendi鈥檚 supervision and contributed to collaborative research activities related to wearable sensing and biomedical signal analysis. Dargouthy also conducted his Master鈥檚 degree research under his supervision and participated in wearable sensing and engineering-related research activities.
Recent outputs from the Digital Medicine Lab have appeared in leading Nature Portfolio journals, including npj Digital Medicine, Communications Medicine, and Communications Engineering, reflecting the Lab鈥檚 growing international research impact. The Lab has also established collaborations with researchers from leading institutions such as Yale University, ETH Zurich, Carnegie Mellon University, University of British Columbia, University of Zurich, and The University of Hong Kong, further strengthening its role as a hub for international collaboration in digital health and biomedical engineering.
Michael Clarence聽
English Editor – Specialist聽
