People

Meet our team members and principal investigator.

Principal Investigator

Prof. Yu Zhang
National Young Talent
Tenured Associate Professor & Doctoral Supervisor
School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
๐Ÿ“ง Email: yuzhang2@sjtu.edu.cn

Prof. Yu Zhang

Biography

Dr. Yu Zhang is a National High-Level Young Talent and established researcher in brain atlas mapping and brain-inspired artificial intelligence. She joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Psychology as Associate Professor in September 2025, where she founded the Brain Atlas and Brain-Inspired AI Laboratory.

With 6 years of international research experience, Dr. Zhang completed her training at world-leading institutions:

  • ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Julich Research Center (Germany) - Brain atlas and cytoarchitectonics
  • ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ McGill University (Canada) - Dopamine and decision-making neuroscience
  • ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Universitรฉ de Montrรฉal (Canada) - Deep learning for neuroimaging

She earned her Ph.D. in Computational Medicine from the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2015), with research focused on connectivity-based analysis of human language areas.

Research Impact

Publications & Citations

  • 40+ Publications in top-tier journals including Science Bulletin, Neurology, Medical Image Analysis, eLife, Journal of Neuroscience, IEEE TNNLS, Cerebral Cortex, and NeuroImage
  • 3,800+ Citations demonstrating significant scientific influence
  • H-index: Reflecting sustained research excellence

Innovation & Patents

  • 46 National Patents granted in China
  • 8 International Patents protecting key innovations
  • Multiple software tools and brain atlas platforms developed

Awards & Honors

  • ๐Ÿ† National High-Level Young Talent (2023)
  • ๐Ÿ† Hangzhou (West Lake Ming Zhu) Young Talent (2022)
  • ๐Ÿ† NeuroImage Editor’s Choice Award (2021)
  • ๐Ÿ† OHBM 2024 Oral & Metric Award
  • ๐ŸŽ“ IVADO Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018-2020, Canada)
  • ๐ŸŽ“ Michael J. Fox Foundation Scholarship (2015-2017, Canada)
  • ๐ŸŽ“ DAAD Short-Term Scholarship (2012, Germany)

Research Expertise

Core Areas

  • Brain atlas mapping across the lifespan
  • Multimodal neuroimaging analysis (structural/functional/diffusion MRI, MEG)
  • Brain-inspired artificial intelligence and deep learning
  • Connectomics and brain network modeling
  • Cognitive neuroscience (language, memory, decision-making)
  • Brain-machine interfaces and neural decoding

Technical Skills

  • Foundation models for brain imaging
  • Graph neural networks for brain analysis
  • Brain encoding and decoding algorithms
  • Individual-level brain parcellation
  • Disease progression modeling

Academic Service

Editorial Positions

  • ๐Ÿ“ Youth Editorial Board Member, The Innovation
  • ๐Ÿ“ Review Editor, Frontiers in Neuroimaging

Professional Memberships

  • Chinese Society of Image and Graphics - Brain Atlas Committee Member
  • Chinese Psychological Society - Brain Imaging Committee Member
  • China Graphics Society - Big Data Committee Member
  • Chinese Medical Equipment Association - Brain Network Neurosurgery Committee Member

Conference Organization

  • Co-organizer, Brain Atlas and Brain-Inspired AI Forum (2022)
  • Co-organizer, Digital Twin Brain Symposium (2023)
  • Co-organizer, AI for Neuroscience and Clinical Medicine Workshop (2024)
  • Education Course Instructor: OHBM 2023, OHBM 2020, MAIN 2019

Mentorship Philosophy

“Use models to explain the brain, use the brain to improve models”

I am passionate about training the next generation of researchers who can bridge neuroscience and artificial intelligence. My mentorship approach emphasizes:

  • ๐ŸŽฏ Independent Thinking: Developing critical analysis and problem-solving skills
  • ๐Ÿค Collaborative Research: Working together on cutting-edge projects
  • ๐Ÿ“š Rigorous Training: Strong foundation in both theory and practice
  • ๐ŸŒ Global Perspective: International collaboration and diverse viewpoints
  • ๐Ÿš€ Career Development: Supporting grant applications and career advancement

What I Look For

  • Genuine passion for “Brain + AI” interdisciplinary research
  • Strong programming skills (Python/R/Matlab)
  • Curiosity and persistence in tackling hard problems
  • Team spirit and effective communication
  • Long-term commitment to scientific research

Education

Ph.D. in Computational Medicine (2009-2015)
Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Supervisor: Prof. Tianzi Jiang
Thesis: Connectivity-based analysis of human language areas

Exchange Student (2012)
Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Julich Research Center, Germany
Supervisor: Prof. Katrin Amunts
Focus: Connectivity-based parcellation of human insular cortex and Broca’s region

B.Sc. in Engineering, Automation (2005-2009)
University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
GPA: 3.73/4.0 (Top 10%)
Thesis: Speech recognition using GMM model

Work Experience

Tenured Associate Professor & Doctoral Supervisor (Sept 2025 - Present)
School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Role: Founder and PI of Brain Atlas and Brain-Inspired AI Laboratory

Principal Investigator (Oct 2020 - Aug 2025)
Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China
Role: Leader of “Multimodal Neuroimaging Analysis” team
Projects:

  • Brain mechanisms of human memory systems
  • Graph-based modeling for multimodal neuroimaging
  • Semantic atlas of the human brain using graph neural networks
  • Human brain atlas data analysis and modeling (STI 2030)
  • Multicenter MRI study of children and adolescents (STI 2030)

Postdoctoral Fellow (Mar 2018 - July 2020)
CRIUGM, DIRO, Universitรฉ de Montrรฉal, Montreal, Canada
Supervisor: Dr. Pierre Bellec
Fellowship: IVADO Postdoctoral Fellowship
Projects:

  • Functional annotation of cognitive states using deep graph convolution
  • Interoperable brain decoding using graph convolutional networks
  • Benchmarking CPU vs GPU for brain activity decoding

Postdoctoral Fellow (Mar 2015 - Oct 2017)
Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Supervisor: Dr. Alain Dagher
Fellowship: Michael J. Fox Foundation Scholarship
Projects:

  • Dopamine depletion and loss aversion in ventral striatum
  • Anatomical and functional organization of human substantia nigra
  • Mesocorticolimbic connectivity in DCC haplotype carriers

๐Ÿ‘ฅ Team Members

Postdoctoral Researchers

We are currently recruiting 2-3 postdoctoral researchers
โ†’ See Open Positions

Research Assistants & Interns

We are recruiting 3-5 research assistants and interns
โ†’ See Open Positions

๐ŸŽ“ Alumni Achievements

Our former team members have achieved remarkable success:

Honors & Awards

  • โœ… National Postdoctoral Program (79th Cohort) Grant Recipients
  • โœ… OHBM 2024 Oral Presentation & Metric Travel Award Winners
  • โœ… EMBC Oral Presentation Award
  • โœ… ISBI Oral Presentation Award
  • โœ… ISMRM Oral Presentation Award
  • โœ… Multiple Best Poster Awards at conferences
  • โœ… Graduate Student Forum Speakers

Career Progression

  • Faculty positions at research universities
  • Postdoctoral positions at top international institutions
  • Research scientist roles in industry AI labs
  • Graduate programs (Ph.D./Master’s) at prestigious universities

๐Ÿค Join Our Team

We are always looking for passionate researchers to join our lab!

Current Openings:

  • Postdoctoral Researchers (2-3 positions)
  • Research Assistants (Full-time, Gap-year)
  • Research Interns (Part-time, Undergraduate/Master’s students)

Contact:
๐Ÿ“ง yuzhang2@sjtu.edu.cn

Learn More:
๐Ÿ”— View Detailed Recruitment Information

Last updated: October 26, 2025
Dr. Zhang is committed to fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and innovative research environment. She encourages independent thinking, interdisciplinary exploration, and supports the professional growth of all lab members.

Current Members

[Profiles coming soon.]

Alumni

[Hall of Fame coming soon.]