Brain research is one of many exciting research focuses at NYU Shanghai. Taking full advantage of NYU Shanghai’s interdisciplinary environment and making creative use of diverse research tools, young scientists at NYU Shanghai extended their research work to the frontiers of global academia to create a new model of graduate student training, The NYU Shanghai-ECNU Joint Graduate Training Program (N.E.T.).
Established jointly by NYU Shanghai and ECNU, N.E.T enables its students to benefit from the rich research, network and educational resources available from both institutions. Students communicate directly with and work alongside distinguished scholars from all over the world, access cutting-edge research tools, and expand their academic horizons to advance the future of their scientific research. Want to investigate the mysteries of human perception and motor control while breaking down the theoretical barriers of disciplines like psychophysics, neuroscience, and engineering? Let’s take a closer look at Professor Li Li’s Perception and Action Lab to learn more about the unique research environment and innovative culture it provides for its students.
Professor Li Li
Li Li is Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at NYU Shanghai and Global Network Professor at NYU. Prior to joining NYU Shanghai, she was Associate Professor of Psychology at The University of Hong Kong. Li obtained her PhD in Cognitive Science from Brown University (Providence, RI, US), and a BS in Psychology from Peking University (Beijing, China). After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Schepens Eye Research Institute and the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA, US), she worked as a senior research associate in the Human Systems Integration Division at NASA’s Ames Research Center (Moffett Field, CA, US). Professor Li serves as Associate Editor for Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (Elsevier), Review Editor for eNeuro (Society for Neuroscience), and Subject Editor for Displays (Elsevier). After joining NYU Shanghai, Professor Li Li established the Perception and Action Lab at NYU Shanghai and carried out extensive in-depth research in collaboration with leading universities and research institutions at home and abroad.
The Perception and Action Lab
Professor Li Li’s Perception and Action Lab combines psychophysics, cognitive neuroscience, engineering, and other interdisciplinary research methods to study visual perception and action, visuomotor control, and the related underlying neural mechanisms of perception.
After just a few years of development, the lab is now equipped with highly advanced research equipment including high-resolution head-mounted displays and motion capture systems for the creation of virtual reality environments, a driving simulator, and high-precision eye trackers. The lab also utilizes facilities of the NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai, including equipment such as the magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Findings from the Perception and Action Lab have appeared in leading journals in the field of neuroscience and vision such as The Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Vision, and Psychological Science.
Research Highlights
In a recent series of functional magnetic resonance experiments conducted by the Perception and Action Lab and its collaborating team, researchers found that the human brain can integrate motion, and form information for the estimation of the direction of self-motion, from environmental images projected on the retina. In another recent project studying the visuomotor capabilities of baseball players, researchers found that ocular-tracking performance can play a role in predicting baseball players’ career potential. In research that examined the prodromal stage of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, scientists at the Perception and Action Lab developed a significant visuomotor testing paradigm that identified key deficits in visuomotor control and related brain structure. The visuomotor testing paradigm developed in these studies has now become a useful tool to assist in-progress evaluations of neurodegenerative diseases and the clinical effects of different treatment methods, as well as to aid in the investigation of changes in visuomotor control and brain development from childhood to adulthood.
The Uniqueness of the Lab and the Scientific Research Experience of Students
From a graduate student’s perspective, can you talk about the uniqueness of the Perception and Action Lab?
Yinghua Yang: The lab has an excellent academic atmosphere for students interested in gaining new knowledge and pursuing cutting-edge research.
Xuechun Shen: Every student can independently carry out a research project based on his or her interests. Students have full support from their supervisors, and get timely feedback on research-related questions.
After starting your research career in the Perception and Action Lab, what has been your most impressive research experience?
Wenjun Huang: Professor Li’s solid understanding and clever use of scientific experiments to enable students to obtain meticulous academic training.
Yangming Xie: The laboratory has maintained good communication and collaboration with many other leading international laboratories. Students have a lot of exchange opportunities and get inspired by these experiences.
Bao Hong: We can enjoy the dual resources from both NYU Shanghai and East China Normal University.
Wenjun Huang: Although I am usually very nervous before each lab meeting and feel a little bit tired after, I always like the atmosphere of discussing and solving problems together. The meetings are never just a monologue by Professor Li. Instead, everyone is able to discuss his or her own ideas, spark one another’s interest, and exchange thoughts with each other.