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Shu Kit Eric Tam

Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Duke Kunshan University
DKU Faculty

Overview


Tam is a behavioral neuroscientist interested in associative learning and biological timing. He received his B.Sc. in Psychology (1st Class Honours), M.Sc. in Psychological Research Methods (Distinction), and Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Nottingham, where he investigated the role of the hippocampus in interval timing. After completing his Ph.D. in 2011, he moved to the University of Oxford and worked as a postdoctoral neuroscientist until 2023. His postdoctoral research focused primarily on the regulation of behavior by light and biological clocks (Tam et al., 2016, Proceedings of the Royal Society B; Tam et al., 2017, Journal of Neuroscience; Tam et al., 2021, PNAS). He joined Duke Kunshan University in 2023 as an assistant professor of neuroscience. Some of his ongoing research aims to understand the reinforcing properties of light and its relevance to behavioral addiction (Tam et al., 2025, Journal of Behavioral Addictions).

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Duke Kunshan University · 2023 - Present DKU Faculty

Recent Publications


Operant light self-administration in mice and its relevance to digital technology-based disorders.

Journal Article Journal of behavioral addictions · March 2025 Behavioral addictions share symptomatological features with substance addiction. From the associative learning perspective, these characteristics include excessive and unregulated self-administration of sensory and other reinforcers, potentially reflecting ... Full text Open Access Cite

Offline hippocampal reactivation during dentate spikes supports flexible memory.

Journal Article Neuron · November 2024 Stabilizing new memories requires coordinated neuronal spiking activity during sleep. Hippocampal sharp-wave ripples (SWRs) in the cornu ammonis (CA) region and dentate spikes (DSs) in the dentate gyrus (DG) are prime candidate network events for supportin ... Full text Cite

Light sampling behaviour regulates circadian entrainment in mice.

Journal Article BMC biology · September 2024 BackgroundThe natural light environment is far more complex than that experienced by animals under laboratory conditions. As a burrowing species, wild mice are able to self-modulate their light exposure, a concept known as light environment sampli ... Full text Cite
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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Nottingham (United Kingdom) · 2011 Ph.D.