Li Shen

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Li Shen is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar and Research Associate at Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute in the University of Southern California. With Biomedical Engineering Ph.D., she is an experienced Neuroengineer and Data Scientist with 10+ years of research in developing and utilizing innovative engineering technique and data analysis approach in multiple fields, especially in decipering brain circuits underlying sensory and emotions, publishing 8 research papers with more than 190 citations to date. She is skilled in data analysis and programming.

Research Fields

Innovative approach to readout and manipulate single neuron activity

Sensory and emotion related neural circuits

Network and neural-based computational modeling

Innovative engineering or data approaches for automatic experimental control

Education

Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering (2010-2017), Tsinghua University, China

Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering (2006-2010), Tsinghua University, China

Technical skills

Programing languages: Python, MATLAB, C, C++, R, SQL, Java

Data analysis and visualization tools: pandas, scipy, statsmodels, matplotlib, plotly, seaborn, opencv, qt, nltk, scikit-learn, keras, tensorflow, pytorch

Statistical inference and machine learning algorithms: GLM, SVM, PCA, K-means, KNN, decision-tree, deep learning(CNN, YOLO, Faster-R CNN, SSD, FPN, LSTM, HMM) etc.

Signal processing: time series analysis, time-frequency analysis, filtering, de-noising, dimensional reduction, clustering; audio signals, image/video processing, electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyography (EMG),high bandwidth in vivo neurological data, spatial data (ArcGIS)

Neurological experiment skills: animal surgery, awake electrophysiological recording, optogenetics, pharmacogenetics manipulation and behavioral test, in vivo fiber photometry calcium imaging, histology, anatomical tracing, microscopy and optics

Building and programming instrumentations: FPGA, DSP, MCU, Arduino, Zigbee, LabVIEW, 3D modeling (Maya), virtual reality (Unity)

Selected Awards

2015. Comprehensive Excellent Scholarship of Tsinghua University

2014. Third Prize in Beijing Biomedical Engineering Academic Speech Contest

2011. Academic Excellent Scholarship of Tsinghua University

2010. Excellent Undergraduate Award of Tsinghua University

Publications

Zhang G, Shen L, Tao C, Peng B, Jung A, Li Z, Tao HW, Zhang LI (2021). Medial Preoptic Area Antagonistically Mediates Stress-induced Anxiety and Parental Behavior. Nature Neuroscience. doi:10.1038/s41593-020-00784-3

Zhang G, Shen L, Li Z, Tao HW, Zhang LI. Track-Control (2019). An automatic video-based real-time closed-loop behavioral control toolbox. bioRxiv doi:10.1101/2019.12.11.873372

Wang X, Chou X, Peng B, Shen L, Huang JJ, Zhang LI, Tao HW (2019). A cross-modality enhancement of defensive flight via parvalbumin neurons in zonal incerta. eLife. 8: e42728. doi: 10.7554/eLife.42728

Zhang G, Shen L, Zhong W, Xiong Y, Zhang LI, Tao HW (2018). Transforming Sensory Cues into Aversive Emotion via Septal-Habenular Pathway. Neuron. 99: 1016-1028. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2018.07.023

Chou X, Wang X, Zhang Z, Shen L, Zingg B, Huang J, Zhong W, Mesik L, Zhang LI, Tao HW (2018). Inhibitory gain modulation of defense behaviors by zona incerta. Nature Communications. 9:1151. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-03581-6

Zhang G, Sun W, Zingg B, Shen L, He J, Xiong Y, Tao HW, Zhang LI (2018). A Non-canonical Reticular-Limbic Central Auditory Pathway via Medial Septum Contributes to Fear Conditioning. Neuron.97:406-417. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2017.12.010

Shen L, Zhao L, Hong B (2015). Frequency-specific adaptation and its underlying circuit model in the auditory midbrain. Frontiers in Neural Circuits. 9:55. doi:10.3389/fncir.2015.00055

Zhao L, Liu Y, Shen L, Feng L, Hong B (2011). Stimulus-specific adaptation and its dynamics in the inferior colliculus of rat. Neuroscience. 181(5):163-174. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.01.060

Selected conference presentations

Shen L, Yan Y, Guo N, Hong B. Functional connectivity for spectrotemporal processing of neighboring neurons in inferior colliculus. 2015 Advances and Perspectives in Auditory Neurophysiology (APAN), Chicago, USA. *Selected as oral presentations

Shen L, Yu Z, Hong B, Rinzel J. A minimal neuromechanistic model for stimulus specific adaptation (SSA). 2014 MidWinter Meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO), San Diego, USA, Poster presentation

Email

Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute
University of Southern California
1501 San Pablo St
Los Angeles, CA 90033