Mary Pietrowicz

Mary Pietrowicz is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences at the University of Illinois and a Senior Research Scientist at the Illinois Applied Research Institute. Her interdisciplinary research integrates computational methods with health sciences, focusing on acoustic and behavioral signal analysis for conditions like ALS, schizophrenia, and depression. She earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois, an M.S. in Computer Science from Florida Atlantic University, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University.

Her research explores computational modeling of human expression through speech, movement, and creativity to develop scalable health assessment tools. Key areas include:

• Machine learning for disease state detection via vocal and kinetic biomarkers
• Deployable telehealth systems using ubiquitous devices (phones, sensors)
• Cross-disciplinary applications in neurology, psychiatry, and addiction science
• Cultural computing through interactive art and sonic installations

Her publications reveal a consistent focus on acoustic signal processing applied to neurodegenerative/psychiatric disorders, with innovations in laughter analysis, verbal fluency testing, and real-time health monitoring. Trends include machine learning refinement for clinical diagnostics and multimodal data fusion.

She contributes to patented technologies in sensor security, geolocation systems, and speech characterization. At the Illinois Applied Research Institute, she develops deployable health-assessment frameworks and collaborates on interdisciplinary projects bridging engineering, medicine, and digital art.