Yu Duan

About Me

My name is Yu Duan (You-Dwan, in Chinese: 段昱). I joined MIT EECS as a PhD student in 2023. I am currently working with Prof. Kanaka Rajan on applying machine learning tools to model the brain. As an undergrad, I studied computer science at Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences at Tsinghua University, where I worked with Prof. Kaisheng Ma and Prof. Yi Zhong on networks with synaptic plasticity and models of the fruit fly mushroom body. I was also a visiting student at Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, where I worked with Prof. Robert Yang on multi-system models of working memory.

For research, I am broadly interested in using machine learning tools to advance brain sciences. Several directions that I feel excited about include

• Building data-driven models that unify neural dynamics, perception, and behavior;
• Developing or applying novel machine learning tools to help collect and analyze experimental data;
• Explaining experimental findings in a goal-driven manner, where the goal could be modeled as loss function/reward in the supervised learning/RL framework.

In my free time, I enjoy playing video games, hiking / skiing in the New England forests. I’m a fan of both rock and classical music, and I also love running along the Charles River.

Publications

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