Assistant Professor in Department of Mathematics and Division of Life Sceince, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, since 2018.

Education

Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, University of Washington, Seattle, USA, 2014

B.S. in Mathematics, Peking University, Beijing, China, 2009

Previous academic positions

Postdoctoral Fellow, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, 2017 – 2018

Swartz Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University, USA, 2014 – 2017


Research

The experimental techniques in neuroscience have advanced dramatically both in the number of simultaneously recorded cells and the ability to do so in behaving animals in rich environments. New data constantly reveal unseen diversity and complexity of neurons’ response patterns and their dynamics over time. Turning such big data into knowledge about the brain requires two types of mathematical efforts:

  • New models and theories to understand the mechanisms and principles of how neural circuits can be established to allow animals to flexibly process information and generate behaviors
  • Advanced data analysis and modeling approaches to uncover features of large-scale neural activity and the structures of underlying circuits

My group employs theories of dynamical systems, random matrix, and statistics and machine learning to questions spanning the spectrum between the two types, with a focus on understanding how the dynamics and functions of recurrent neural circuits arise from their connectivity patterns. Ongoing projects and topics include:

  • Dimension and geometry of neural population activity
  • Biological learning and non-local recurrent neural circuits
  • Statistical theory and method to infer directed interaction graphs from neural activity data
  • Brain-wide circuit of sensorimotor transformation in visual and chemosensing behaviors in zebrafish


Contact:

Email me
Office: 3443 (lift 17/18)