// hello, world

Elliot Nester

Computational & Systems Neuroscientist

Network dynamics · Neuromodulation · Biomedical engineering

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About

I am a neuroscientist working at the intersection of computation and experiment, with a focus on network- and systems-level brain disorders. My background in computer science informs how I approach experimental design, data analysis, and instrumentation — from large-scale, intracranial neural recordings to neuromodulation for causal analysis and therapeutic interventions.

My work has spanned electrophysiology, behavioral analysis, and the design and fabrication of biomedical devices. I am interested in how brain-wide interactions give rise to epilepsy and psychiatric disorders, and how perturbations to networks can restore healthy function.

Outside the lab I contribute to open-source tools, foster animals, and enjoy working on a variety of creative and technical projects.

// affiliation

Barrow Neurological Institute

and Arizona State University

// location

Phoenix, Arizona

Skills

// Computational

Python MATLAB C / C++ NumPy / SciPy PyTorch LFP Analysis Spike Sorting Graph Theory Statistical Modeling Signal Processing Machine Learning Git / Linux HPC / SLURM

// Experimental

Electrophysiology Electrical Stimulation Ultrasound Neuromodulation Behavioral Tasks Calcium Imaging Fluorescence Microscopy Neuronal Cell Cultures

// Engineering

Neural Engineering Embedded Systems Microcontrollers 3D Printing / CAD Custom Electrode Fabrication Analog and Digital Electronics Electronic Instrumentation

Projects

Experimental · Computational

Network Dynamics of Affective Task Switching

Exploration of thalamo-cortical activity during an affective task-switching paradigm in patients with intracranial electrodes.

Electrophysiology Behavioral Tasks Signal Processing Graph Theory

Computational

Thalamo-Cortical Dynamics During Seizures

Analysis of thalamo-cortical interactions during seizures in patients with intracranial electrodes, and development of a computational model to explain observed dynamics.

MATLAB LFP Network Dynamics

Experimental · Engineering

Ultrasound and Electrical Neuromodulation

Testing unique combinations of ultrasound and electrical stimulation on neuronal cell cultures using a custom-built experimental rig.

Cell Cultures Calcium Imaging Fluorescence Microscopy

Publications

// Preprints & In Review

IN REVIEW

Nester, E., et al. (2026). Thalamocortical network dynamics in focal epilepsy: SEEG investigation. bioRxiv

// Thesis

THESIS

Nester, E. (2022). Remote Modulation of Neural Computation in Cell Cultures Using Electric Field and Ultrasound Combinations. [Master's of Science, Arizona State University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.

// Journal Articles

JOURNAL

Behrens, H. W., ..., Nester, E., et al. (2018). Datastorm-FE: A data- and decision-flow and coordination engine for coupled simulation ensembles. Proceedings VLDB Endowment, 11 (12), 1781-1794.

// Conference Presentations

ORAL HIGHLIGHT

Nester, E., et al. (2026). Aperiodic slope may be a local physiologic biomarker for thalamic neuromodulation in epilepsy. NYC Neuromodulation, New York, New York.

POSTER

Nester, E., et al. (2025). Intracranial Electrophysiologic Biomarkers of the Ictal Thalamocortical Network in Drug-Resistant Epilepsy. Neural Interfaces, Arlington, Virginia.

POSTER

Nester, E., et al. (2024). Parallel Changes in Aperiodic Slope Across the Thalamo-cortical Ictal Network. AES Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, California.