Yang Dan (neuroscientist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yang Dan
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| Born |
Beijing, China
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| Alma mater | Peking University Columbia University |
| Known for | Optogenetics |
| Spouse(s) | Mu-ming Poo |
| Awards | Alfred P Sloan Research Fellowship, Beckman Young Investigator Award, Edward M. Scolnick Prize, Peter Seeburg Integrative Neuroscience Prize |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neuroscience |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley |
Dan Yang (Chinese: 丹扬; pinyin: Dān Yáng) is a Chinese-American neuroscientist. This means she is a scientist who studies the brain and the nervous system. She is a very important professor at the University of California, Berkeley. She also works as an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
Dr. Yang has won many awards for her amazing research. She is known for her work on how brain circuits control our behavior. In 2018, she was chosen to be part of the US National Academy of Sciences. This is a big honor for scientists.
Her current research focuses on understanding sleep in the brain. She also studies how the front part of our brain helps us make decisions. Dr. Yang uses mousees to study these complex brain functions. She uses special tools like optogenetics to control brain cells with light. She also uses imaging and other methods to see how brain cells work.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Where Did Yang Dan Grow Up?
Dan Yang was born and grew up in Beijing, China. Her father was a physicist, a scientist who studies how the world works. He was a big inspiration for her. She also loved hearing stories about famous scientists like Albert Einstein and Marie Curie. These stories made her want to become a scientist too.
Her College Years
Dr. Yang went to Peking University in China. She earned her first degree in physics there. After that, she moved to the United States to continue her studies. She went to Columbia University and earned her Ph.D. in biology in 1994.
Her professor at Columbia was Mu-ming Poo. Together, they studied how brain cells send messages to each other. They also looked at how these connections can change and adapt. After her Ph.D., she did more research at other famous universities. She studied how our brains process what we see.
Career and Discoveries
Teaching and Research at Berkeley
In 1997, Dr. Yang started teaching at the University of California, Berkeley. She became a very respected professor there. She also became an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This means she gets special support for her important research.
What Does Her Lab Study?
Dr. Yang's lab studies how brain circuits control sleep. They also look at how the prefrontal cortex, the front part of our brain, helps us think and make plans. Her team uses advanced techniques to understand these processes. They use optogenetics, which lets them turn brain cells on or off with light. They also use electrophysiology to measure electrical signals in the brain.
In 2015, Dr. Yang and her team made an exciting discovery. They published their findings in the famous science journal Nature. They found that activating certain brain cells in sleeping mice made them enter REM sleep. This is the part of sleep where we dream. Interestingly, if they activated the same cells when the mice were awake, the mice would eat more!
Recognition for Her Work
Because of her important discoveries, Dr. Yang was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2018. This honor recognized her work on how brain circuits control behavior. It also highlighted her understanding of how brain cells work together.
In 2025, after living in the United States for 35 years, Dr. Yang moved back to China. She became a senior investigator at the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation.
Personal Life
Dr. Yang is married to Mu-ming Poo. He was her professor when she was studying for her Ph.D. He is also a very respected scientist and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
