Sana Azarnava

Sana is a data scientist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI). In 2021 she graduated with a master’s in biomedical engineering, focusing on machine learning and biomedical signal processing. Subsequently, she joined RespiQ as an intern, building data pipelines and software around spectral breath data to support AI models for real-time health monitoring. After that, she spent a year at Maastricht University and MUMC+, performing signal processing and signal-quality assessments for a wearable respiratory sensor, and planning clinical validation through pilot tests and gold-standard checks.

Now as a data scientist in the Image-Guided Surgery group at NKI, she applies advanced machine learning and data analysis techniques to optical imaging technologies such as diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging, and FLIM. She collaborates with clinicians to convert optical spectra and images into interpretable, real-time outputs that support intraoperative decision-making.