Maxine Annel
ABOUT ME
Who am I?
I'm Maxine Annel Pacheco-Ramírez — PhD researcher at the IUCRC BRAIN Center, University of Houston, using EEG to decode how the brain responds to music, dance, art, and human connection.
From Geneva's UN AI for Good Summit to Bali's rice paddies, from MD Anderson Cancer Center to Rice University — I chase one question: what happens in our brains when we create, connect, and heal?
NSF AccelNet Coordinator · BRAIN-AccelNet Student Network Treasurer · Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Lab · B.Eng. Biomedical Engineering, Tecnológico de Monterrey (Highest GPA)
Publications
24
Wearable Biosensor Technology in Education: A Systematic Review
Sensors
Hernández-Mustieles MA, Lima-Carmona YE, Pacheco-Ramírez MA, et al.
DOI: 10.3390/s24082437
24
Neural Dynamics of Creative Movements During the Rehearsal and Performance of 'LiveWire'
Scientific Data (Nature)
Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Ramírez-Moreno MA, Kukkar K, Rao N, Huber D, Brandt AK, Noble A, Noble D, Ealey B, Contreras-Vidal JL
25
At-Home Stroke Neurorehabilitation: Early Findings with the NeuroExo BCI System
Sensors
González-España JJ, Sánchez-Rodríguez L, Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Feng J, Nedley K, Chang S-H, Francisco GE, Contreras-Vidal JL
DOI: 10.3390/s25051322
26
An Artistic BCI–GenAI System Enabling Real-Time Co-creation in Balinese Performance
International Workshop on Creative AI for Live Interactive Performances
Aguilar-Herrera AJ, Hernández-Aguado CO, Monarres-Sokolovskaya JA, et al.
Conference Abstracts & Posters
25
Robust Multi-Class EEG Emotion Recognition Via Trial-Level Validation & Supervised Feature Selection
EBRAINS Summit 2025, Brussels, Belgium
Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Contreras-Vidal JL
25
Neural Dynamics in Dance Improvisation
Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity (SfNC) Conference, Paris, France
Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Lima-Carmona YE, Aguilar-Herrera AJ, Sánchez-Rodríguez L, Huber D, Ramírez-Moreno MA, Brandt A, Noble A, Noble D, Contreras-Vidal JL
25
Toward Standardization: A Multimodal Pipeline for Mobile Brain-Body Imaging (MoBI)
EBRAINS Summit 2025, Brussels, Belgium
Sánchez-Rodríguez L, Aguilar-Herrera AJ, Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Lima-Carmona YE, Contreras-Vidal JL
25
Extending EEG Microstate Analysis to Real-World Settings for Characterizing Creativity in the Arts
EBRAINS Summit 2025, Brussels, Belgium
Lima-Carmona YE, Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Aguilar-Herrera AJ, Sánchez-Rodríguez L, Das D, Ferguson R, Contreras-Vidal JL
25
Advanced Analysis Pipeline for Mobile EEG Recordings During Real-World Settings
Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity (SfNC) Conference, Paris, France
Sánchez-Rodríguez L, Aguilar-Herrera AJ, Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Lima-Carmona YE, Delgado-Jimenez EA, Huber D, Ramírez-Moreno MA, Cruz-Moreno JG, Contreras-Vidal JL
24
At-home Stroke NeuroRehabilitation with the NeuroEXO Brain-Machine Interface System
Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Conference, Chicago, IL
Sánchez-Rodríguez L, Pacheco-Ramírez MA, González-España JJ, Nedley K, Chang S-H, Francisco GE, Contreras-Vidal JL
24
NeuroHumanities: Advancing Human-Centered and Inclusive Engineering Education through Integrated Convergent Research, Workforce Development and STEAM Outreach
2024 NSF EEC Grantees Conference, Alexandria, VA
Aguilar-Herrera AJ, Contreras-Vidal JL, Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Lima-Carmona YE
24
Mindspring: A Personalized Health Wearable Device for Stress Management in Teens
IUCRC Brain Center Annual Meeting, Morgantown, WV
Sánchez-Rodríguez L, Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Baquero G, Ferguson R, Contreras-Vidal JL
24
Understanding Inter-Brain Synchrony and Functional Connectivity During Dance Performance (LiveWire)
InterfaceRice 2024, Rice University, Houston, TX — 🏆 Second Prize
Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Aguilar-Herrera AJ, Huber D, Brandt A, Noble A, Noble D, Ramírez-Moreno MA, Contreras-Vidal JL
24
Brain Communication and Neural Dynamics during Dance Performance through EEG, Hyperscanning and Mobile Brain-Body Imaging Techniques
NeuroGateways 2024 Symposium, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Contreras-Vidal JL
23
Understanding Inter-Brain Synchrony and Functional Connectivity During Dance Performance
Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Annual Meeting 2023, Washington, DC
Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Aguilar-Herrera AJ, Huber D, Brandt A, Noble A, Noble D, Ramírez-Moreno MA, Contreras-Vidal JL
Meeting Presentations
25
Mindspring: A Personalized Health Wearable Device for Stress Management in Teens
IUCRC Brain Center Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD Oral
Sánchez-Rodríguez L, Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Baquero G, Ferguson R, Contreras-Vidal JL
24
Mindspring: A Personalized Health Wearable Device for Stress Management in Teens
Eleventh Annual Bayou Startup Showcase, RED Labs Accelerator, The Ion, Houston, TX Pitch
Sánchez-Rodríguez L, Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Contreras-Vidal JL
24
Mindspring: A Personalized Health Wearable Device for Stress Management in Teens
IUCRC Brain Center Annual Meeting, Morgantown, WV Oral
Sánchez-Rodríguez L, Pacheco-Ramírez MA, Baquero G, Ferguson R, Contreras-Vidal JL
Workshops
25
Building Frameworks for Brain, Body, and Music: Advancing Data Standards for Dance, Sound, and Neurotechnology
November 10–11, 2025 · NSF AccelNet Workshop (Award #2412731), UCSF, San Francisco, CA Neuroengineering Team & EEG Support
International workshop bringing together researchers, artists, and industry leaders to advance data standards across dance, sound, music, and neurotechnology. Contributed with the IUCRC BRAIN neuroengineering team supporting the technical setup and EEG recording for La Catrina Monarca performance.
25
MoBI Data Preparation and Denoising Workshop
August 25–27, 2025 · Laboratory for Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems, University of Houston Workshop Instructor
A 3-day hybrid workshop guiding researchers and students through hands-on training in Mobile Brain/Body Imaging (MoBI) data preprocessing using MATLAB and EEGLAB. Covered EEG denoising pipelines, multimodal datasets, and best practices for data preparation.
25
Blooming Deserts — Neurohumanities Creative Workshop
August 4–8, 2025 · University of Houston, in collaboration with Neurohumanities Lab, Tecnológico de Monterrey Workshop Organizer
A 4-day immersive interdisciplinary workshop bringing together researchers, programmers, artists, and performers to fuse neuroengineering, AI, and immersive arts. Featured expert talks, collaborative workshops, and hands-on prototyping culminating in a showcase demo.
25
Embodied Emotions: Music, Body, and Brain in Geneva
July 10–11, 2025 · Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Campus Biotech, Switzerland Workshop Organizer & Neuroengineering Team
AccelNet workshop (Award #2412731) exploring the intersection of music, body, and brain through keynotes, lightning talks, art-science performances, lab visits, and working groups on developing standards for brain behavior synchronization and quantification.
26
AccelNet–EBRAINS Summer School on Human Data Management & Modelling / AI
June 15–28, 2026 · Learning Center Morgagni, Florence, Italy Co-Organizer
A 2-week intensive summer school co-organized under AccelNet (NSF Award #2412731) with University of Houston, Università degli Studi di Firenze, and EBRAINS. Three research tracks: Digital Brain Twin for Alzheimer's, SoMo Library & Standardized MoBI Protocols, and Brain-Computer Musical Interfaces using GenAI.
Education
Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Houston
2023 - 2028 (expected)
B.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering
Tecnológico de Monterrey
2019 - 2023 · Highest GPA of class 🏆
Contact
Phone
(832) 455-1363
Email
mpachec4@cougarnet.uh.edu
Location
University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA