Robert F. Rogers, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Mailing Address

University of Delaware
140 Evans Hall
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716

Contact

Phone: (302) 831-8517
FAX: (302) 831-4316
E-Mail: rrogers@ece.udel.edu

Education

M.B.A., Business, University of Delaware, 2002
Ph.D., Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, 1995
B.S., Biology, Duquesne University, 1987

Biography

Dr. Rogers' undergraduate education focused on biology and biochemistry, with particular interest in physiology. His doctoral research defined the computation performed by brainstem neurons receiving information regarding blood pressure. His work as a visiting scientist at DuPont's Central Research & Development department mainly focused on developing optical imaging systems for in vivo neurophysiological applications. His follow-up work as a research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's department of Neuroscience allowed him to develop his information theoretic application to spike train data he was collecting. Before coming to UD, he served as an research assistant professor of Pathology, Anatomy & Cell Biology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. There he was a founding member of the Daniel Baugh Institute for Functional Genomics/Computational Biology. He came to UD with the explicit goal of developing a multidisciplinary research and education program in Biomedical Engineering within the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department.

Teaching

ELEG 471/671 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering (BME foundation course)

ELEG 473/673 Signal Processing in Neural Systems

BISC 627 / PSYC 627 Neuroscience II

ELEG 470/670 Biophysics of Excitable Membranes

Research

The entirety of Dr. Rogers' research focuses on one central question: How does the brain (or a subsystem thereof) perform the computations necessary to support the functions it executes? Using the cardiovascular and respiratory control systems as model systems, Dr. Rogers explores related issues such as neural encoding and decoding, information transfer, spatiotemporal integration, rhythm generation, and plasticity. By using experimental approaches such as in vivo electrophysiology and in vivo optical imaging, computer modeling and simulation, and application of information theory, he seeks to understand how homeodynamic control is performed by the networks of neurons comprising these systems.

Current research projects in Dr. Rogers' laboratory investigate nervous system function at various hierarchical levels, with the overall goals of uncovering functional principals and computational algorithms used by these systems in both health and disease (e.g., neurogenic hypertension, apnea). Dr. Rogers believes that by recording and analyzing the activity of neurons individually, in small groups, and in large networks, all while they are performing the functions they were designed to perform, he will gain direct insight into how higher order processes emerge from lower level unitary function.

If You're Interested...

As his work is multidisciplinary, Dr. Rogers seeks students of various backgrounds, including neuroscience, physiology, cell biology, medicine, electrical and mechanical engineering, physical therapy, and others.  The best candidates are likely those that are willing to stretch beyond their comfort zone or area of expertise, in order to work effectively at the interface between two or more disciplines.  There are also projects available to students who wish to pursue more "traditional" areas of interest.  Graduate students interested in a PhD in either electrical & computer engineering, biomechanics and movement science, biology, or psychology (behavioral neuroscience) can pursue their studies in Dr. Rogers' group.

Example Projects

One research project concentrates on a relatively high level (networks/systems), investigated by optically imaging neuronal activity using potentiometric dyes in an artificially-perfused, physiologically intact preparation.  This preparation allows researchers in Dr. Rogers' lab to examine the activity of brainstem systems during eupnea and other breathing patterns (e.g., gasping).

A related project involves mainly hardware and software design, and concentrates on improving and upgrading the continuous data acquisition, signal processing, display, and data integration functions required of our proprietary system that handles both imaging and electrophysiological data originating from a single experiment, all in real time.

Another project involves quantifying information in spike train patterns of individual or small populations of sensory neurons that provide the control circuitry with feedback signals regarding variables of interest (e.g., blood pressure, lung inflation, blood gas tensions).

Another project involves quantifying information content in the spike trains of individual second-order neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius.  Dr. Rogers' group examines how much information about different aspects of the sensory signal is represented in the activity of neurons after the signal has been processed at the first synapse of the system.  One can then compare the information with that carried by the sensory neurons that transduce these signals into spike trains (i.e., in the previous project) in order to determine what types of computations are being performed or how the sensory neurons' input signals are processed.

Another project, a computer simulation study begun by a Master's student, examined the impact of varying network architecture (convergence ratios, synaptic weights, etc.) and neuronal biophysical properties (active and passive membrane properties) on the information in second-order neuronal spike trains.

Finally, Dr. Rogers' group is beginning to create micro-sized implantable devices for parallel stimulating and recording in nerves in the living animal. The goal is to monitor and stimulate large populations of individual neurons in order to develop cybernetic control devices that are physically integrated with the nervous system, in hopes of performing neuromuscular control or assistance in patients with central nervous system deficits.