Overview
I am interested in the neuropsychological and behavioral correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and adolescent trauma. With a multidisciplinary background in psychology, physics, and biology, I have specific training and expertise in neuroimaging methods and secondary data analysis of neural changes in PTSD and childhood trauma. I systematically study PTSD-related structural and functional brain images using methods that focus on different levels including regional changes, connectivity, and brain networks, respectively, to build a complete behavioral-brain map. I also study the relationship between adolescent brain development and trauma as well as alcohol by using brain structure network graphs, longitudinal studies, and machine learning research methods. Besides, I utilize neuroimaging and neurophysiological techniques to investigate the neural underpinnings of social cognitive and affective functions in both healthy volunteers and patients with mental disorders including excessive internet usage, smoking addiction, Alzheimer’s Disease, and depression. I have successfully collaborated with researchers locally or from other institutions and have had several peer-reviewed publications in each project.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Disrupted thalamocortical functional connectivity and canonical resting-state network integration in posttraumatic stress disorder.
Journal Article Neuroimage Clin · December 12, 2025 The thalamus exhibits widespread connectivity to the entire cortical mantle, yet distinct thalamic subregions possess unique connectivity profiles and functional roles. While the thalamus has been consistently implicated in posttraumatic stress disorder (P ... Full text Link to item CiteImage-based meta- and mega-analysis (IBMMA): A unified framework for large-scale, multi-site, neuroimaging data analysis.
Journal Article Neuroimage · November 15, 2025 The increasing scale and complexity of neuroimaging datasets aggregated from multiple study sites present substantial analytic challenges, as existing statistical analysis tools struggle to handle missing voxel-data, suffer from limited computational speed ... Full text Link to item CiteImage-Based Meta- and Mega-Analysis (IBMMA): A Unified Framework for Large-Scale, Multi-Site, Neuroimaging Data Analysis.
Journal Article bioRxiv · June 17, 2025 The increasing scale and complexity of neuroimaging datasets aggregated from multiple study sites present substantial analytic challenges, as existing statistical analysis tools struggle to handle missing voxel-data, suffer from limited computational speed ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Structural and Functional Architecture of Cortico-Cerebellar Systems in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma
ResearchSenior Research Scientist · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2029Genomic Architecture of Functional Brain Networks in PTSD
ResearchInvestigator · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2023 - 2026Neurobiologically-Based Subtyping of Multi-Cohort Samples with MDD and PTSD Symptoms
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2022 - 2026View All Grants