CIBM | Center for Biomedical Imaging

EEG CHUV-UNIL Electrical  Neuroimaging Section

Giovanni Chiarion earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Padua. He then pursued both his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical Engineering at Politecnico di Torino. His Master’s thesis centered on developing a pupillometric communication device for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Subsequently, Giovanni received a research grant from the University of Torino to design a communication Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) system capable of enabling binary responses through thought, leveraging sensorimotor rhythms and motor imagery. This innovative BCI system was integrated with his earlier pupillometric approach to enhance communication robustness and reliability for individuals with motor impairments.
In his Ph.D. work, Giovanni investigated connectivity metrics with a multi-scale approach, primarily focusing on EEG but also extending to in vitro neuronal networks. He worked on implementing innovative strategies to address the spike sorting problem associated with overlapping neural signals, enhancing the accuracy of neuronal activity detection. These efforts contributed to the development of methods capable of resolving overlapping spike waveforms, crucial for understanding synchronized neuronal firings and interactions.
Currently, Giovanni’s research focuses on the pupillometric correlates of surprise and violation detection in auditory sequences. He examines how different auditory regularity patterns elicit pupil-linked phasic arousal, providing insights into the neural mechanisms underlying auditory processing.