Research Associate
Center for Neural Engineering http://www.esm.psu.edu/wiki/research:cne:start
Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics http://www.esm.psu.edu/
212 Earth-Engineering Science Building,
Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, PA, 16802.
Voice: (814) 865-6951
Fax: (814) 865-6161
Email: ghanim@psu.edu
Personal Home page: http://www.personal.psu.edu/gxu1/

PhD: Biophysics (Prof. Peter Jung), Ohio University, 2006
Dissertation topic: Computational modeling of calcium signaling from the nanoscale to multicellular systems.
MS: Ohio University, 2003
M.Sc: University of Peshawar, 2000

Honors

• 2001: Won Oriental Physics Award, Pakistan.
• 2000: Recipient of University gold medal from University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan.
• 2000: “First position” in M.Sc. from the Department of Physics, University of Peshawar, Pakistan.
• 1998-2000: Merit Scholarships on B.Sc and M.Sc levels at the University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan.

Positions

• Jan 2009 – Present: Research Associate, Center for Neural Engineering, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
• 2006 – 2008: Postdoctoral Scholar, Center for Neural Engineering, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
• 2003 – 2006: Research Assistant, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, U.S.A.
• 2001 – 2003: Teaching Assistant, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, U.S.A.
• Feb, 2001 – June, 2001: Lecturer, Department of Physics, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan.
• Aug, 2000 – Feb, 2001: Lecturer, Warsak Model School and College, Peshawar, Pakistan.
  

Memberships

• 2008 - Present: Member of Society for Neuroscience, USA.
• 2007 - Present: Member of Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics, USA.
• 2005 - Present: Member of American Physical Society, USA.
• 2005 - Present: Member of Division of Biophysics, American Physical Society, USA.
• 1998 - 2000: Organizer of Science Society, University of Peshawar, Pakistan.
  

Ad hoc reviewer: Cell Calcium, Physical Biology, Nanoscale Research Letters

Interests:

• Brain tissue is composed of neurons and glial cells whose role is to regulate the extracellular environment especially potassium concentration. I am interested in investigation of the role of potassium in the generation and evolution of neuronal network instability leading to seizures, specially when glial cells fail to remove the excess potassium from the interstitial volume.
  

• Tracking and controlling seizure dynamics through nonlinear kalman filter.

Publications

• Ghanim Ullah and Steven J. Schiff. Assimilating Seizure Dynamics. PLoS Computational Biology, 6(5) (2010) e1000776.
  

• Ghanim Ullah and Steven J. Schiff. Models of Epilepsy. Scholarpedia, 4(7) (2009)1409.
  

• Divya Swaminathan, Ghanim Ullah, and Peter Jung. A simple sequential-binding model for Calcium puffs. Chaos, 19, (2009) 037109.
  

• Ghanim Ullah and Steven J. Schiff. Tracking and control of neuronal Hodgkin-Huxley dynamics. Physical Review E, 79, (2009) 040901(R).
  

• Ghanim Ullah, John R. Cressman, Ernest Barreto, and Steven J. Schiff. The influence of sodium and potassium dynamics on excitability, seizures, and the stability of persistent states: II. Network and glial dynamics. Journal of Computational Neuroscience, 26 (2009) 171.
  

• John R. Cressman Jr., Ghanim Ullah, Jokubas Ziburkus, Steven J. Schiff, and Ernest Barreto. The influence of sodium and potassium dynamics on excitability, seizures, and the stability of persistent states: I. Single neuron dynamics. Journal of Computational Neuroscience, 26 (2009) 159.
  

• Ghanim Ullah, Peter Jung, and Khaled Machaca. Modelling Ca signaling differentiation during oocyte maturation Cell Calcium, 42 (2007) 556 .
  

* Ghanim Ullah and Peter Jung. Modeling the statistics of elementary calcium release events. Biophysical Journal, 90 (2006) 3485.

• Ghanim Ullah, Peter Jung, and Ann H. Cornell-Bell. Anti-phase calcium oscillations in Astrocytes via inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate regeneration. Cell Calcium, 39 (2006) 197.
  

• Peter Jung, Alexander Neiman, MKN Afghan, Suhita Nadkarni, and Ghanim Ullah. Thermal activation by power-limited coloured noise. New Journal of Physics, 7 (2005) 17.
  

Refereed Conference Proceedings

• Ghanim Ullah, John R. Cressman, and Steven J. Schiff. Modeling the interplay between interneuron and pyramidal cell during seizures. BMC Neuroscience 2008, 9(Suppl 1):P145, doi:10.1186/1471-2202-9-S1-P145.

• John R. Cressman Jr., Ghanim Ullah, Jokubas Ziburkus, Steven J. Schiff, and Ernest Barreto. Ion concentration dynamics: mechanisms for bursting and seizing. BMC Neuroscience 2008, 9(Suppl 1):O9, doi:10.1186/1471-2202-9-S1-O9.

• Ghanim Ullah, John R. Cressman, Ernest Barreto, and Steven J. Schiff. The role of glia in seizures. BMC Neuroscience 2007, 8(Suppl 2):P28, doi:10.1186/1471-2202-8-S2-P28.

• John R. Cressman Jr., Ghanim Ullah, Jokubas Ziburkus, Steven J. Schiff, and Ernest Barreto. Slow potassium dynamics and seizure evolution. BMC Neuroscience 2007, 8(Suppl 2):P80, doi:10.1186/1471-2202-8-S2-P80.
  

Talks and Presentations

• Ghanim Ullah and Steven J. Schiff , “ Tracking and Control of Neuronal Hodgkin-Huxley Dynamics. ”, SIAM conference of Dynamical Systems, Snowbird, UT, May 2009.
• Ghanim Ullah, “ Tracking and Controlling Neuronal Dynamics During Seizures.”, Ball State University, Physics Colloquium-April 23, 2009 

• Ghanim Ullah and Steven J. Schiff , “ Tracking and control of neuronal Hodgkin-Huxley dynamics. ”, Engineering Principles in Biological Systems, Cold Spring Harbor Labs, NY, Dec 2008. 

• Ghanim Ullah, John R Cressman, Ernest Barreto, and Steven J. Schiff , “ Modeling the interplay between CA1 hippocampal pyramidal cells and interneurons during seizure-like events. ”, Annual Meeting, Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC, Nov 2008. 

• John R. Cressman, Ghanim Ullah, Jokubas Ziburkus, Ernest Barreto, and Steven J. Schiff , “ Ion concentration dynamics: mechanisms for bursting and seizing ”, Annual Meeting, Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC, Nov 2008. 

• Ghanim Ullah, , John R Cressman, Ernest Barreto, and Steven J. Schiff , “ Modeling the interplay between pyramidal cells and interneurons during seizure. ”, Computational Neuroscience Conference, Portland, OR, July 2008. 

• John R. Cressman, Ghanim Ullah, Ernest Barreto, and Steven J. Schiff , “ Ion concentration dynamics: mechanisms for bursting and seizing. ”, Computational Neuroscience Conference, Portland, OR, July 2008. 

• Ghanim Ullah, , John R Cressman, Ernest Barreto, and Steven J. Schiff , “ The role of glia in seizures. ”, Computational Neuroscience Conference, Toronto, Canada, July 2007. 

• John R. Cressman, Ghanim Ullah, Jokubas Ziburkus, Ernest Barreto, and Steven J. Schiff , “ Slow potassium dynamics and seizures. ”, Computational Neuroscience Conference, Toronto, Canada, July 2007. 

• Ghanim Ullah, , John R Cressman, Ernest Barreto, and Steven J. Schiff , “ How glia modulate the stability of persistent neuronal activity: from working memory to seizures. ”, SIAM conference on Dynamical Systems, Snowbird, UT, USA, May 2007. 

• John R. Cressman, Ghanim Ullah, Jokubas Ziburkus, Ernest Barreto, and Steven J. Schiff , “ Slow potassium dynamics during seizures and spreading depression. ”, SIAM conference on Dynamical Systems, Snowbird, UT, USA, May 2007. 

• Ghanim Ullah, Peter Jung, Khaled Machaca, “ Calcium Signaling differentiation during oocytes maturation. ”, Anual SIAM/Life Science Meeting, July 2006. 

• Ghanim Ullah, Peter Jung, “ Calcium Signaling in single and multi-cellular systems. ”, George Mason University, May 2006. 

• Ghanim Ullah, Peter Jung, “ A universal signal for egg activation at fertilization. ”, 5th Annual Science Fair, Ohio University, May 2006. 

• Ghanim Ullah, Peter Jung, “ Statistical properties of elementary calcium release events (Puffs). ”, APS March Meeting, March 2006. 

• Ghanim Ullah, Peter Jung, “ A theoretical investigation of the mechanism causing the differentiation in calcium signaling during Xenopus oocyte maturation. ”, Open house (world year of Physics), Ohio University, November, 2005. 

• Ghanim Ullah, Peter Jung, Ann H. Cornell-Bell, “ Coordinated Ca oscillations in Astrocytes coupled through gap-junctional inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate diffusion. ”, Applied and Computational Mathematics Department, Ohio University, November 2005. 

• Ghanim Ullah, Peter Jung, “ Calcium released through nano-clusters; the building blocks for calcium dynamics in various cell types . ”, 4th Annual Science Fair, Ohio University, March 2005. 

• Ghanim Ullah, Peter Jung, Ann H. Cornell-Bell, “ Anti-phase calcium oscillations in Astrocytes via inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate regene- ration. ”, APS March Meeting, March 2005. 

• Ghanim Ullah, Peter Jung, “ Mathematical Modeling and Signal Transduction Workshop, ”, Mathematical Biosciences Institute, Ohio State University, January 2004. 

• Ghanim Ullah, Peter Jung, “ Neuronal Dynamics Workshop, ”, Mathematical Biosciences Institute, Ohio State University, October 2002. 

  

See complete Resume HERE