Aaron T. Kuan
Aaron Kuan (he/him) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine, and a Wu Tsai Institute Investigator. His lab, which opened recently in August 2023, aims to apply circuit-mapping techniques at brain-wide scales to understand how brain wiring underlies cognition and neurological diseases.
As a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School with co-mentors Dr. Wei-Chung Lee and Dr. Christopher Harvey, Aaron developed new electron microscopy and X-ray imaging techniques that make it possible to map neural circuits at unprecedented detail and scale, and leveraged these techniques to investigate how decision-making is implemented in the brain. Previously, he received his Ph.D. Applied Physics under the mentorship of Dr. Jene Golovchenko.
In addition to his research, Aaron is also a violinist and conductor, having studied at New England Conservatory and the The Juilliard School, and served as the Music Director of the Dudley House Orchestra at Harvard University for several years.
Zhen Zhang
Postdoctoral Fellow
Zhen Zhang (he/him) is graduate from University of Science and Technology of China, with a PhD degree in Nuclear Science and Technology. His research area is imaging technology, mainly focus on the methodologies of tomography and tomographic data processing algorithms. Currently, he is exploring the imaging techniques in neuroscience and the data processing pipelines for connectomics. Outside of the lab, he enjoys cooking, working out and watching cartoons. Fun fact: Zhen is learning 3D modeling and rendering and wants to make his own cartoons.
Allison Cairns
Graduate Student
Allison Cairns (she/her) is a PhD student in Applied Physics and Physical Engineering Biology from Santa Ana, California. Allison majored in Physics at Portland State University, where she worked at the Center for Electron Microscopy and Nanofabrication. Outside of the lab, Allison serves as a board member of Women and Gender Minorities in Science at Yale (WISAY) and as a Graduate Coordinator of the STARS II Program. For recreation, Allison enjoys hiking, backpacking, skateboarding, surfing, cliff diving, and practicing MMA. Fun Fact: Allison's introduction to physics occurred during her college years when she needed to be enrolled as a full-time student to qualify for a car insurance discount, completely unaware of what the subject entailed. Unexpectedly, this experience sparked a profound passion for physics within her.
Jing Yuan
Graduate Rotation Student
Jing Yuan (she/her) is a PhD student in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program. She was born and raised in Zhuhai, China, and completed her undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley, graduating with Honors in Cell Molecular Biology and a minor in Computer Science. Her postgraduate research focused on host-pathogen interactions and explored how aging might evolve as a defense mechanism against pathogens. During that time, she had a chance to work with a newly discovered neurotropic virus in drosophila, which got her intrigued in neuroscience, particularly in understanding brain circuitry and connectivity. In her free time, she is interested in politics, diplomacy, esport gaming, and spending time with cats. Fun fact: Jing loves pc hardware and rebuilt her own desktop computer.
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Sarosh Kayani
Postgraduate Associate
Sarosh Kayani (she/her) is a Yale graduate from Islamabad, Pakistan with a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience. Her senior undergraduate research investigated optimal error rates for visuomotor learning in human subjects. She was also involved with the International Students Organization and spoken poetry groups at Yale. In her free time, she enjoys origami and watercolor painting. Fun fact: She is currently studying Korean in order to translate her favorite novel!
Ishan Loomba
Postgraduate Associate
Ishan Loomba (he/him) is a graduate of Oberlin College and Conservatory from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He majored in Psychology and Piano Performance, with a minor in Cognitive Science. He completed an independent project in the winter of 2023, investigating how musical imagery affects the brains of listeners, from the point of view of emotion and cognition. Outside of the lab, he is a performing pianist and chamber musician. He also enjoys singing arias, reading fiction and non-fiction, especially philosophy of mind and neuroscience works. Fun fact: Ishan loves cooking Italian cuisine, and watching old art-house movies!
Yihan Li
Visiting Undergraduate Research Assistant
Yihan Li is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Bioinformatics at Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute. She is curious about the origins of human consciousness and emotions, which has led her to explore neuroscience. Currently, she is involved in utilizing deep-learning models to perform organelle segmentation on 3D EM images. Outside of the lab, Yihan also serves as president of the Student Red Cross Society in Zhejiang University. She has a keen interest in engaging with meaningful projects initiated by international organizations.
Fun fact: Yihan has a passion for hip-hop music and is a beatmaker.
Jacob Liao
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Jacob Liao (he/him) is a sophomore in Pierson college from Palo Alto, California majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Outside of the lab, Jacob is also involved in YMUN and the Pierson College Council. Last summer, he worked on oncogenic mutations of the KRAS gene in pancreatic cancer. Fun fact: Jacob has also studied ants and worked at a boba store! In his free time, he enjoys reading the news and taking macro photos.
Clara Gulick
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Clara Gulick (she/her) is a first-year in Benjamin Franklin college from Exeter, New Hampshire considering majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and/or Earth and Planetary Sciences. Outside of the lab, Clara volunteers with the American Red Cross and a hypertension prevention program, and is involved in STARS I and Club Geo. Last summer, she worked on characterizing gene expression in drosophila enhancer traps created using CRISPR/Cas9. For fun, Clara enjoys baking in the student kitchen, knitting blankets, and solving puzzles. Fun fact: Clara enjoys putting goat cheese on all kinds of food!
Kavya Gupta
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Kavya Gupta (She/Her) is a first year in Benjamin Franklin College from San Diego, California considering majoring in Molecular, Cellular Developmental Biology on the Neurobiology Track. Outside of lab, Kavya is part of the Yale Jashan Bhangra dance team, a writer for the Yale Scientific Magazine and is training to become a certified EMT student. In the past, she worked on creating EM segmentations for dendritic spines in Marmoset data to understand the impacts of cognitive decline over age. In her free time, she loves to bake and create fun DIY projects with household items.
Could be you!
We have openings!
We are always looking for enthusiastic and curious individuals to join the lab. Don't hesitate to to reach out if you are interested in joining our team.