Alessandro "Ollie" D'Amico
At an early age I taught myself how to write basic programs in order to make bots to play video games, which eventually lead me to developing my own games. I later became passionate about studying the brain in high school, and when I first started university, I studied chemistry with the intent of becoming a neurologist. After becoming a research assistant at the Center for Understanding Anxiety at San Diego State University, I realized I was more interested in cognitive neuroscience and brain computer interfaces (BCIs), and became a more adept programmer and researcher. Throughout my undergraduate studies at UC San Diego, and my subsequent experience at the Natural Computation Lab/de Sa Lab, I have created my own brain computer interfaces from scratch, including all of the hardware and software. I am now pursuing a career in BCIs, and I am specifically interested in researching and developing devices and paradigms which function in real-world settings. Although my current expertise lies in EEG-based methods, I am excited to pursue other technologies in order to accomplish my primary goal.
Link to a PDF of my CV (last updated 30Nov2022)
In March 2019, I competed in the most popular show in China, called Superbrain, as a member of the international team. I love competition, traveling, and making new friends, and this trip was exceptional. We spent more than 10 hours each day preparing for the competition, and our Chinese opponents were fierce and honorable. Without a doubt, this was one of the most interesting experiences of my life.
I enjoy creating devices with the Arduino framework, writing bots, working on games, playing music, rock climbing, hiking, and enjoying life with my friends and family.