Julien Rimok

Biography

About me
My name is Julien, and I am a PhD student in biomedical engineering. I was born and raised in Montreal and began my academic journey with a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University. Following that, I completed a Master’s in Life Sciences Engineering with a primary focus in neuroprosthetics at l’École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. My MSc thesis work was completed in collaboration with l’Université de Montréal, where I concentrated on learning how to communicate with the brain using technology, how to read and interpret neural signals, and how to leverage artificial intelligence to develop algorithms to control brain computer interfaces to improve functional outcomes after strokes. I decided to do my PhD in Calgary, as I wanted to collaborate with an incredible team of researchers with a shared goal of improving the quality of life for people living with spinal cord injuries – a cause that is important to me.

My research
I am currently working under the supervision of Dr. Aaron Phillips, where my research focuses on developing new therapeutic technologies for spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries disrupt communication between the brain and the rest of the body, causing many vital functions in the body to become impaired. Notably, this leads to paralysis, but also has many invisible consequences, such as the extreme difficulty or inability to regulate blood pressure throughout the day. I am looking to gain a better understanding of how blood pressure is controlled in the nervous system, and how I can leverage this new knowledge to develop new technologies that help to restore control of blood pressure in this clinical population.

BRAIN CREATE program aspirations
With the BRAIN CREATE program, I hope to gain insights into the process of bringing research innovations to market, in order to help those in needed as quickly as possible. I would like to participate in industry placements or academic exchanges with companies or institutions with a strong expertise in bringing innovations from the benchtop to clinical use.

Commercialization
My project has a strong potential for commercialization, as my lab and I are working to develop new neurotechnologies. As the field of neurotechnology is rapidly expanding, many labs and companies are working to improve the quality of life for people with various neurological disorders. I hope that any intellectual property developed as a result of my research can be used to help people with spinal cord injuries and serve as a basis for new innovations in this field.

Publications

Miller, R. R., Tso, M. M., Rimok, J., and Smith, D. B. (2023) Collateral connectivity of the sympathetic nervous system. J Physiol. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP284933

Awards

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (CIHR)

Mitacs Accelerate Fellowship