Background

I received my MPhys degree at Warwick University. For my masters project I modelled a magnetic spin system, applying varying external forces to cause the spin states to change. This was to drive a thermodynamic system to produce a cooling cycle.

PhD Research

My PhD project involves the use of signal processing to extract useful sample information from measured data. Recently I have written code to apply a sparse deconvolution method, which excels at distinguishing thin layers of materials. THz has a strong potential in biomedical applications, as it is highly sensitive to the water content of skin. Many skin conditions, such as melanoma, vary in water content compared to healthy tissue. To better understand results which could indicate a skin condition in a patient I am investigating the usual variation in measurements between people, and what factors affect these results.

Research Topics

Signal processing, THz TDS, THz in vivo skin measurements, compressed sensing, patient independent parameters, sparse deconvolution, finite rate of innovation, frequency wavelet domain deconvolution.

Teaching

I previously demonstrated for first year labs.

Journal Publications

X. E. Ramirez Barker, R. I. Stanchev, A. I. Hernandez Serrano and E. Pickwell-MacPherson, Simulated and Experimental Verification for a Terahertz Specific Finite Rate of Innovation Signal Processing Method. Sensors 2022, 22, 3387.

Conference Publications

X. E. Ramirez Barker and E. Pickwell-MacPherson, 2022 47th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves, "Finite Rate of Innovation Theory Applied to Terahertz Signal Processing".

X. E. Ramirez Barker and E. Pickwell-MacPherson, 2022 The 9th International Conference on Optical Terahertz Science and Technology, "Simple Experimental Verification for a Terahertz Finite Rate of Innovation Method"

X. E. Ramirez Barker and E. Pickwell-MacPherson, 2021 46th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves, "Simulated Verification For A Finite Rate Of Innovation Method Applied To Terahertz Signals".

X. E. Ramirez Barker and E. Pickwell-MacPherson, 2020 45th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves, "Finite Rate of Innovation Principle Applied to Terahertz Signals".

X. E. Ramirez Barker and E. Pickwell-MacPherson, 2019 44th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves, "In vivo THz Measurements of Human Skin: Investigating the Dependence on Ethnicity and Arm Dominance".

Position: PhD Student

Start Date: October 2018

Supervisor: Emma MacPherson

Contact Details:

Office: P4.31
Lab: P4.23
E-Mail: x.barker@warwick.ac.uk
Address: Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.