Alumni Profile: Beatriz Silveira de Arruda

After completing a double major in Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience at Brown University, Beatriz came to Oxford in 2019 to pursue her DPhil in Clinical Neurosciences.

She began conducting research in this field at the age of 19, working as an intern on the Walk Again Project in her birth country Brazil, which developed neurotechnology for people with spinal cord injuries.

Green Templeton as her first choice

When seeking advice on choosing a college, her secondary supervisor, Professor Tim Denison – a Fellow at Green Templeton – recommended the college for its strong focus on healthcare and social impact.

‘That alignment with my own interests was the deciding factor,’ she says. ‘I was also drawn to the college’s reputation for being welcoming and less hierarchical, and for its vibrant international community.’

‘Oxford is where I built communities that made the place feel like home. I met many mission-driven people who became close friends.’

Tackling tremor

Beatriz’s DPhil research focused on developing a non-invasive approach to treating pathological tremor using electrical stimulation applied at the wrist. The project led to a wrist-worn device that records tremor signals, estimates the phase of the oscillation in real time, and delivers targeted stimulation to suppress tremor – among the first wearable systems of its kind. The work was published in the IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine.

Building a career in research

Beatriz is currently a Research Fellow at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, where her work uses emerging neurotechnology – including wearable brain imaging sensors and high-density electromyography – to study connectivity between the brain, spinal cord and muscles during movement. Her long-term goal is to establish an independent research programme developing neurotechnologies to understand and treat movement disorders.

Beyond the lab

Alongside her academic career, Beatriz has volunteered for over a decade as a mentor to students from under-represented backgrounds in Brazil applying to universities abroad. Several mentees have since been admitted to leading universities worldwide.
She also hopes to contribute scientific expertise to public policy, particularly in health and neurotechnology.