My lab. I'm fascinated by how our brains shape who we are and what we do. As a Group Leader at the University of Oxford, my research explores the neural mechanisms underlying adaptive behaviors, including how animals decide to pursue a current goal or switch to a new one.

Understanding these brain mechanisms will advance the etiology of many neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism, ADHD, major depressive disorder, anxiety associated disorders, and many others, where adaptive behaviors are malfunctioned.

To achieve this understanding, my lab develops novel behavior tasks and analyses, and uses cutting-edge techniques to interrogate the brain circuits in freely-moving and head-fixed mice, such as electrophysiology recording with high-density probes, miniaturized two photon and fluorescence microscopy, fiber photometry, optogenetics and pharmacological manipulations, and virus tracing, in both healthy and disordered brains.

Before joining Oxford, I was a senior research fellow at UCL's Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, studying how the brain drives exploration. Previously, my PhD research at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, which focused on visual processing and plasticity, was recognized with the 'Dutch Neuroscience Thesis Prize'.

My previous studies have uncovered key subcortical circuits that regulate curiosity, stress responses, visual processing, and decision-making. I have extensive experience in clinical neuroscience as well, focusing on developing diagnostic biomarkers for neuropsychiatric disorders such as ADHD, autism, major depressive disorder, and others.

While the lab keeps me busy, I'm equally passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientists and sharing neuroscience with the public.