Mentors: Oren Gurevitch <oren.gurevitch@mcgill.ca>, Maya Aderka <maya.aderka@mail.mcgill.ca>, Suresh Krishna <suresh.krishna@mcgill.ca>
Skill level: Advanced
Required skills: Fluency in Python/MATLAB. Familiarity with signal-processing algorithms and data-science/statistics. Familiarity with Slurm and working with clusters preferred. Basic web-development skills or interest in learning them will be useful.
Time commitment: Full time (350 hours)
Forum for discussion
About: Recent research has again begun to emphasize the close relationship between the temporal dynamics of heart-rate and blood-pressure with brain dynamics. The study of cardiovascular dynamics and brain dynamics uses a set of conceptually highly inter-related algorithms and software tools, that have yet to be brought together to take advantage of each other. Many projects currently use closed-source commercial software since the existing open-source software is not easy to use or poorly documented.
Aims: This project aims to implement software to jointly analyze brain and heart dynamics and integrate this software with existing packages as well as existing open datasets. A web platform will also be set up to facilitate web-based analysis.
Website: m2b3.com/BrainHeart
Tech keywords: Oscillations, brain heart interactions, health AI, time-series analysis, online portals
Subject: Interest in BrainHeart & Proposal Drafting
Dear Oren, Maya, and Suresh @suresh.krishna ,
I have been interested in this project since the day it was mentioned in the INCF GSOC-25 document. Currently, I have a signal processing subject in my semester at college, and I am highly motivated to work on this problem. I have experience working with Python, and we use MATLAB in our coursework, so I am quite familiar with it as well. I also have relevant web development experience, aligning with the key requirements mentioned in the project.
I am currently drafting a proposal for this project and will share it with you soon for feedback. Additionally, I am actively exploring the other technologies involved to strengthen my understanding.
To further demonstrate my skills, I am building an MVP for a personal project related to this domain. This project focuses on biomedical time-series analysis, specifically processing and visualizing heart rate and EEG data. The MVP includes:
- Signal preprocessing (filtering, normalization)
- Feature extraction (frequency components, statistical measures)
- Real-time visualization using Python (Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly)
- I also plan to explore Slurm-based processing to further align with the project’s scope.
This project directly aligns with the brain-heart interaction analysis required in the GSOC project.
By the time the GSOC period starts, I aim to gain further exposure to Slurm-based cluster computing, ensuring a smoother transition into the project.
I am excited about this opportunity and eager to contribute.
Looking forward to your insights!
Best regards,
Ritesh Singh
@riteshsingh - thank you for the interest. What you propose is along the right track. Looking forward to your proposal. Please send me a link to a Google Doc via DM when it is ready for feedback.
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@arnab1896 @PradeepGeorge @Mathew_Abrams - could one of you please update the description above to refer to oren.gurevitch@mail.mcgill.ca (rather than the address shown) and also the app link to GitHub - m2b3/BrainHeart ?
Thank you !
@suresh.krishna Thank you for your response!
I appreciate the opportunity to work on this project and will refine my proposal accordingly. Currently, for my individual project’s MVP, I am preprocessing and analyzing the CAP Sleep Database, which studies sleep disorders using EEG and ECG signals. This aligns with the project’s focus on biomedical time-series analysis.
I’ll share the Google Doc link via DM once it’s ready for feedback. Looking forward to your insights!
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Suresh,
I have updated the information.
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Dear Suresh @suresh.krishna, Oren and Maya,
I am Anushka Sharma, a junior-year student pursuing a B.Tech at IIT Dhanbad. I am writing to express my keen interest in the BrainHeart project, particularly in analyzing brain and heart dynamics. I have developed strong skills in Python, MATLAB, and scientific computing, which enables me to contribute effectively to this project.
My recent research experience includes working on advanced numerical methods, including solving the Poisson equation using the Boundary Element Method and developing machine learning models for simulation tasks. I am also proficient in data analysis, machine learning, and deep learning, having completed specialized courses from DeepLearning.AI along with an internship at Cadence Design Systems. I am actively learning more about Slurm and cluster computing to ensure preparation for the technical requirements of the project.
Could you kindly guide me on how I can best get started with this project? I’d be happy to take on tasks or start solving issues right away.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you! Please find attached my resume for your reference.
Regards,
Anushka Sharma.
@Anushka_Sharma1 - thank you for your interest. please see my responses above to ritesh.
this is a brand new project, meaning the selected contributor will develop the code and project from scratch. in future gsocs, we plan to develop what is built this year, but this is year 0 for this project.
we have had a lot of success with such an approach in past GSoCs as well.
we will try to add some more pointers on github to what we envisage for this project by the end of this week. but your ideas are welcome as well.
Looking forward to your proposal. Please send me a link to a Google Doc via DM when it is ready for feedback.
Dear @suresh.krishna, Oren and Maya,
I am Swaroop Kaimal, final year student BTech, and I am highly interested in contributing to the BrainHeart project as part of GSoC. My background in signal processing, physiological data analysis, and AI-driven biomedical applications aligns well with the project’s goals.
I have experience with Python, biomedical signal processing, and embedded health monitoring systems. Additionally, I have basic knowledge of web development and am eager to expand my skills in this area as well. I am excited about the prospect of developing an open-source tool for heart-brain dynamics and would love the opportunity to contribute.
I would appreciate it if you could provide more details about the expected deliverables, key milestones, tools and datasets. Understanding the specific goals and technical challenges would help me better prepare for the project.
I have attached my CV for your reference. Looking forward to your thoughts!
@swaroop_kaimal - welcome and thanks for the interest. please also read what we have written above in previous answers.
we will update the github page with more detail by this coming monday. there is substantial flexibility in this project. as usual, a good proposal will have elements of what you propose to do and why, how you propose to do it, why you are the person to do it (skills and feasibility).
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Hello,
My name is Andriana Sielli, and I am thrilled to apply for the BrainHeart project under GSoC. I hold a BSc in Physics and am currently completing my MSc in Bioinformatics and Neuroinformatics. I have gained valuable experience through various research internships both in my home country and abroad. Additionally, I have a background in DevOps, and I am currently attending a live Backend Software Engineering course at a multinational company.
I am particularly excited about the BrainHeart project as it aligns perfectly with my goal of applying technical expertise to solve biomedical challenges. The opportunity to work on integrating and analyzing heart-brain dynamics is both fascinating and impactful. I am eager to contribute to the development of open-source tools that facilitate collaborative research and improve access to vital data. I am confident that my skills in Python, MATLAB, biological data analysis, and signal processing, combined with my passion for advancing biomedical research, will enable me to successfully implement the outcomes of this project.
I will send my proposal as soon as possible and look forward to receiving your feedback and further discussing this exciting project!
Hello,
My name is Andriana Sielli, and I am thrilled to apply for the BrainHeart project under GSoC. I hold a BSc in Physics and am currently completing my MSc in Bioinformatics and Neuroinformatics. I have gained valuable experience through various research internships both in my home country and abroad. Additionally, I have a background in DevOps, and I am currently attending a live Backend Software Engineering course at a multinational company.
I am particularly excited about the BrainHeart project as it aligns perfectly with my goal of applying technical expertise to solve biomedical challenges. The opportunity to work on integrating and analyzing heart-brain dynamics is both fascinating and impactful. I am eager to contribute to the development of open-source tools that facilitate collaborative research and improve access to vital data. I am confident that my skills in Python, MATLAB, biological data analysis, and signal processing, combined with my passion for advancing biomedical research, will enable me to successfully implement the outcomes of this project.
I will send my proposal as soon as possible and look forward to receiving your feedback and further discussing this exciting project!
PS i tried to change my nickname to my real name and this created some confusion. I am really sorry for this inconvenience.
@swaroop_kaimal @Anushka_Sharma1 @riteshsingh @andriana_sielli and others i may have missed, the github page has now been updated. This project requires you to do so research yourself into heart-rate metrics, existing packages, and connecting it to open-source eeg and meg analysis packages. once you draft a proposal, i can provide comments as feedback to improve the proposal. please use the gsoc incf template.
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Hi @suresh.krishna , Maya Aderka and Oren Gurevitch
I am Varnika Khare, I am currently a PhD scholar in Cognitive Science at IIT Hyderabad, India, working on motor memory consolidation.
While my research primarily involves behavioural and neural data analysis, I have experience with Python (especially for data visualization), and reinforcement learning and I currently use MATLAB for EEG signal processing.
I am interested in applying for this GSoC project “BrainHeart: an integrated open-source software tool for studying heart-brain interactions”.
I am currently exploring the github page provided for the same. I would love to know what my next steps are and where should I report to regarding my progress.
Best Regards.
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The next steps are to draft a proposal and send it to me via DM to get feedback and then submit it. Since this is a new project, the work will start if and when the proposal is accepted.
Hi @suresh.krishna , thankyou for the prompt response.
I was wondering if your team could provide me any proposal which got accepted previously. This will help me gauge your expectations for the state of a art proposal.
Best
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@suresh.krishna I’m also looking for the same.
@suresh.krishna
Do I need to conduct original research to develop new algos for analyzing heart and brain dynamics, or is the focus mainly on implementing and integrating existing algos into a unified toolbox, or is the expectation to do both?
Asking this question to clear my doubt, whether the project requires to research and design new algos from scratch, or to implement already established methods. So, I can frame my proposal accordingly.
original research is not expected or needed. @yagnikposhiya
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