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 |
Yang Dan (Chinese: 扬; pinyin: Dān Yáng) is a Chinese-American neuroscientist. A neuroscientist studies the brain and how it works. She is a top professor at the University of California, Berkeley. She also works as an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
Dr. Dan has won many important awards for her work. She is known for her research on how our brains control what we do. In 2018, she was chosen to join the US National Academy of Sciences. This is a very high honor for scientists.
Her current research looks at how the brain controls sleep. She also studies how the front part of the brain helps us make decisions. Dr. Dan uses mousees to learn about the brain. She uses special tools like optogenetics and imaging. These tools help her see how brain cells work.
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Early Life and Education
Yang Dan was born and grew up in Beijing, China. Her father was a physicist, a scientist who studies how the world works. He helped her decide to become a scientist too. She also heard stories about famous scientists like Albert Einstein and Marie Curie. These stories inspired her.
Her University Studies
Dr. Dan went to Peking University in China. She earned a bachelor's degree in physics there. After that, she moved to the United States. She studied at Columbia University and earned her Ph.D. in biology in 1994.
For her Ph.D., she worked with a professor named Mu-ming Poo. They studied how brain cells send messages to each other. After her Ph.D., she did more research at other universities. She studied how the brain processes what we see.
Her Career in Science
In 1997, Dr. Dan started teaching at the University of California, Berkeley. She became a very important professor there. She also became an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This means she gets support to do her important research.
Understanding Sleep and the Brain
Dr. Dan's research focuses on how the brain controls sleep. She also studies the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain helps with planning and making choices.
In 2015, Dr. Dan and her team published an important paper. They found that certain brain cells in mice control REM sleep. REM sleep is when we dream. They also found that these same cells can make awake mice eat more. This shows how complex the brain is.
National Recognition
In 2018, Dr. Dan was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS). This honor recognized her work on brain circuits. Brain circuits are like tiny electrical pathways in the brain. Her research helps us understand how these circuits control our behavior and sleep.
Personal Life
Yang Dan is married to Mu-ming Poo. He was her professor when she was a student. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
