Ya-Yun Chen
Last Update: Jan. 22nd, 2024

Affective Neurodynamics & Development Lab, VT

Ph.D. Student

2019 - present

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The recent studies are focused on a grant project led by Dr. Tae-Ho Lee: "Dyadic Neural Similarity in Family." The primary research question of this study is to understand the extent to which children's brain responses resemble those of their parents in social and emotional situations. In addition to the lab projects, I am conducting research on aggressive and prosocial behaviors in parent-child dyads. This study aims to investigate how family members, peers, and other potential influencers of social learning impact the social decision-making of early adolescents.

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JK Lifespan Development Lab, VT

Research Assistant for fMRI data

2022 - present

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My main job is to process and analyze fMRI data spanning a period of up to 7 years. The aim is to identify risk and protective factors associated with inhibitory control ability in the brain of children, adolescents, and young adults, as well as their substance use behaviors. In general, the projects focus on investigating self-regulation, self-system, and religiousness/spirituality as protective factors for health risk behaviors among normative samples of adolescents.

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Center for Research of Cognitive Science, 

Lead Research Assistant / Coordinator

2018 - 2019

The studies were focused on the joint project titled "A Neural-Computational Approach to Investigate Multi-modal Processing and Integration of Emotional Expressions." As the principal research assistant, my responsibilities encompass designing and conducting experiments, as well as managing the team involved in the project. This collaborative endeavor involves partnering with four laboratories across three institutes.

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Data for Social Good

Fellow

2016 - 2017

 

This project aimed to contribute to the betterment of society through data analysis. We firmly believe in the transformative power of data for social good. In this endeavor, I actively participated in the domestic violence team, which utilized the random forest model to predict the risk of recurring domestic violence. Our accomplishments have garnered significant attention, highlighting the importance of employing data science in the non-profit sector.

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Cheng-Zhi Education Foundation

Developer of Teaching Resource

2015 - 2016

 

Junyi Academy, a free online learning resource, offers instructional videos and large item pools that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. Enlarging the item pool of Biology is my core work. http://www.junyiacademy.org/

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Brain Research Unit

Research Assistant

2014 - 2016

 

Worked under the supervision of Prof. Jen-Chuen Hsieh in the Integrated Brain Research Unit; our research focuses on how long-term pain (primary dysmenorrhea, PDM) experience affects the pain processing and pain modulatory systems in the human brain.

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Visual Cognition Laboratory

Undergraduate Student Researcher

2013 - 2014

 

Completed my undergraduate study on face recognition and facial emotional expression processing using eye-movement and behavioral data at National Chung Cheng University.

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Sleep Laboratory

Research Assistant, Teaching Assistant

2010 - 2014

 

I assisted with setting up and scoring of polysomnography (PSG) to study sleep deprivation, N2, and/or REM-sleep deprivation.

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