معرفی
Sara Hanrahan serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering (MABE) department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville since August 2023, following her role as BME Lecturer from January 2018 to July 2023. Her academic career builds upon prior research positions at the Colorado Neurological Institute Neuromodulation Lab and the University of Utah Neural Engineering Lab.
She holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a Neural Interfaces specialization from the University of Utah (2013) and a BS in Biomedical Engineering with a Chemistry minor from the University of Pittsburgh (2008).
Dr. Hanrahan's research focuses on neural signal analysis in movement disorders, particularly deep brain stimulation applications for Parkinson's disease. Her work integrates clinical neurophysiology with engineering solutions for neurological conditions, emphasizing subthalamic nucleus dynamics and neural interface development. Current investigations include therapeutic optimization for movement disorders and neural decoding of motor functions.
Her publication history demonstrates consistent contributions to neural engineering, with recent work examining long-term neural dynamics in Parkinson's disease, STN-based behavior classification, and multisensory neural processing. Key thematic areas include surgical targeting algorithms, neural decoding for brain-computer interfaces, and anesthetic effects on neural signaling.
Dr. Hanrahan has received significant recognition for her teaching excellence:
- 2019 MABE Outstanding Faculty Initiative and Leadership Award
- 2021 Pi Tau Sigma Excellence in Teaching Award
- 2022 Leon & Nancy Cole Teaching Fellow Award
- 2023 Toby Boulet Outstanding Faculty Service Award
She provides extensive academic service as an ABET Program Evaluator, ASEE Reviewer, and faculty advisor for the Engineers in Medicine Society. Her committee work includes chairing the MABE Teaching Discussion Lunch and serving on the Curriculum and Assessment Committee while supporting the Interdisciplinary Graduate Minor in Neuroscience.
Her research trajectory spans clinical neurophysiology at the Colorado Neurological Institute, neural engineering at the University of Utah, and rehabilitation engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, establishing a foundation for translational neuroscience applications in academic medicine.
