Resume (CV)

The Work of Yun-Fei Takua Liu > About Me > Resume (CV)

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Education

Talks and Presentations

Other Experience

Research Experience

Teaching Experience

Online Education

Skills

Publications

Professional Experience

Awards and Funding

Education

  • JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY (JHU), MARYLAND, MD, USA
    • PhD, Psychological and Brain Sciences
    • SEP 2020 – DEC 2023
    • Dissertation defense committee: Dr. Marina Bedny, Dr. Colin Wilson, Dr. Janice Chen, Dr. Leyla Isik, Dr. Jason Fischer
  • JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, MARYLAND, MD, USA
    • Master of Arts in Psychological and Brain Sciences
    • SEP 2018 – JUN 2020
  • NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY (NTU), TAIPEI, TAIWAN
    • Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering
    • GPA: 4.05 out of 4.3
    • Concentration: Cognitive Neuroscience, Functional Brain Imaging, Psycholinguistics
    • SEP 2013 – JUN 2015
  • NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY, TAIPEI, TAIWAN
    • Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
    • GPA: 4.08 out of 4.3
    • SEP 2009 – JUN 2013

Research Experience

  • NEUROPLASTICITY AND DEVELOPMENT LAB, JHU
    • Postdoctoral Researcher
    • Advisor: Dr. Marina Bedny
    • Applied advanced computational and data-science methods (e.g., non-parametric statistics, Bayesian inference) and machine learning (e.g., principal component analysis, support vector machine, recurrent neural network) to broaden the inter-disciplinary research project on programming.
    • JAN 2024 – PRESENT
  • NEUROPLASTICITY AND DEVELOPMENT LAB, JHU
    • PhD student
    • Advisor: Dr. Marina Bedny
    • Project: the neuroscience of programming code comprehension
      • Led a team of five experimenters to conduct a 3-year long research project.
      • Administered 400+ behavioral experiment sessions with 90+ participants and 80+ MRI scanning sessions with 50+ participants.
      • Coordinated the schedules between experimenters and participants.
      • Collaborated with course instructors of “Gateway Computing: Python” course opened by the Department of Computer Sicnece in JHU.
    • Project: the neural effect of orthography processing during Braille reading in congenitally blind individuals
    • Trained undergraduate research assistants.
    • Assisted in data collection during the 2019 annual conference of the National Federation of the Blind.
    • SEP 2018 – DEC 2023
  • HASSON LAB, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
    • Research Specialist
    • Advisor: Dr. Uri Hasson
    • Integrated a decade’s worth of legacy big dataset consisting of MRI data collected from 10+ experiments with 300+ participants across ~900 MRI scanning sessions, amounting to more than 135,000 hours of spatio-temporal data; implemented the shared-response model to enable analysis across experiments.
    • Improved the rank-based classification accuracy of fMRI time course segments by applying shared-response model analysis to inter-subject functional connectivity data, and projecting the time courses to the shared space.
    • Assisted in an intensive fMRI data collection project. Scanned 20+ participants every other week.
    • Contributed to a patch of the BrainIAK tool box developed by the lab, resolving memory-related issues.
    • NOV 2017 – JUN 2018
  • LAB OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, NTU, TAIWAN
    • Research assistant
    • Advisor: Dr. Hsiao-Wen Chung
    • Explored the application of natural language processing to Mandarin Chinese using latent semantics analysis and Coh-Metrix.
    • Assisted in undergraduate education and lab administration.
    • SEP 2016 – SEP 2017
  • BRAIN IMAGING LAB, NTU, TAIWAN
    • Master’s degree student
    • Advisor: Dr. Fa-Hsuan Lin
    • Project: Differential neural response to reading articles with different genres and translation styles
    • Assisted in visual error detection study using magnetoencephalogram (MEG).
    • Introduced inter-subject neuronal correlation analysis method to the lab.
    • Conducted pioneering reading study using natural stimulation paradigm.
    • FEB 2014 – JUN 2015
  • CELL BEHAVIOR LAB, NTU, TAIWAN
    • Undergraduate research assistant → Master’s degree student
    • Advisor: Dr. Po-Ling Kuo
    • Assisted in the development of collagen-based 3D cell culture scaffold.
    • Assisted in the study of shear wave imaging.
    • Managed main experiment subjects such as melanoma cells, A549 cells, and 3T3 cells.
    • SEP 2012 – JAN 2014

Publications

Talks and Presentations

  • “Computer programming instruction rapidly “recycles” logical algorithm representations in fronto-parietal reasoning systems“
    • Submitted talk at the conference of the Association for Psychological Science
    • MAY 2025
  • “Code comprehension: an interplay between logic and language”
    • Invited talk in the lab of Dr. Wei Ji Ma in New York University
    • NOV 2023
  • “Neural and behavioral correlates of programming in Python novices”
    • Invited talk presented during the workshop for Gateway Computing course instructors
    • JUL 2023
  • “When Your Brain Gets a Code”
    • Presented at the 2023 Science Gong Show
    • Voted as the audience’s favorite talk
    • APR 2023
  • “Neural Recycling of Logical Reasoning Network for Programming Code Comprehension”
  • “Neural Recycling of Logical Reasoning Network for Programming Code Comprehension”
    • In person symposium talk at the conference of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society
    • Symposium title: “Neural Recycling of Reasoning Networks by STEM Domains: Evidence from Studies of Math, Engineering, and Programming”
    • APR 2022
  • “If either LOGIC or CODE then not (so much) LANGUAGE”
  • “The Neural Basis of Code Comprehension”
    • Guest lecture given at Mind, Brain, and Experience in JHU
    • Invited by course instructor Dr. Marina Bedny
    • NOV 2021, APR 2020
  • “The Involvement of Bilateral Supramarginal Gyrus in Orthographic Processing during Braille Reading”
    • Slide slam video presentation at the virtual conference of the Society for the Neurobiology of Language
    • Video available on YouTube
    • OCT 2021
  • “The Neural Basis of Code Comprehension”
    • Invited talk in the lab of Dr. Uri Hasson in Princeton University
    • OCT 2020
    • Invited talk in the lab of Dr. Rebecca Saxe in Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • SEP 2020
  • “Computer Code Comprehension Shares Neural Resources with Formal Logic and Math”
  • “Overlapping Neural Responses to Symbolic Math and Formal Logic in the Intra-Parietal Sulcus”
  • “Thinking Animals, Thinking of Animals”
    • Guest lecture given at Introduction to Psychology in JHU
    • Invited by course instructor Dr. Chaz Firestone
    • NOV 2019
  • “Japanese: a language beyond your imagination”
    • Lecture presented at the learning salon held by the Taiwanese Student Association in JHU
    • FEB 2019
  • “What’s flying in the NeuroSky: Introduction to NeuroSky technology and possible application in hackathon events“
    • Presented at the Hackathon even organized by HackNTU, Taiwan
    • AUG 2015
  • “Your READy brain: The neuroscience of reading, from a single letter/character to a whole passage”
    • Presented at the Information Center, Ministry of the Interior, Taiwan
    • APR 2015
  • “Virtual Immortality: The Spatial World Beyond the Cable Line”
    • Presented at the Information Center, Ministry of the Interior, Taiwan
    • JUL 2013

Teaching Experience

  • Teaching Assistant: Real World Human Data,JHU
    • Course instructor: Dr. Janice Chen
    • Mean evaluation score given by students: 4.90 / 5.00
    • SPRING2021
  • Teaching Assistant: Research Methods in Psychology, JHU
    • Course instructor: Dr. Jeff Bowen
    • Mean evaluation score given by students: 4.19 / 5.00
    • Teaching intensive – Gave lectures every week on R programming and mathematical implementations of statistical theories
    • FALL 2020
  • Teaching Assistant: Mind, Brain, and Experience, JHU
    • Course instructor: Dr. Marina Bedny
    • Mean evaluation score given by students: 4.50 / 5.00
    • Teaching intensive – Explained journal articles to one student per week to help the student prepare for in-class oral presentation
    • SPRING 2020
  • Teaching Assistant: Introduction to Psychology, JHU
    • Course instructor: Dr. Chaz Firestone
    • Mean evaluation score not applicable: the scores for four TAs were pooled together
    • Heavy work load – 500 students in total, I was in charge of 125
    • FALL 2019
  • Teaching Assistant: Linear Algebra, NTU
    • Course instructor: Dr. Mao-Chao Lin
    • Hosted TA sessions to explain core concepts and supplement course material
    • SPRING 2017
  • Teaching Assistant: Scientific Research and Academic Career, NTU
    • Course instructor: Dr. Hsiao-Wen Chung
    • Led discussion groups and helped curate course material
    • FALL 2016
  • Teaching Assistant: Special Topics in Micro- and Nano-Biotechnology, NTU
  • Teaching Assistant: Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, NTU
    • Course instructor: faculties of the Graduate Institute of Biomedical Electronics and Bioinformatics
    • FALL 2013
  • Tutoring experience:
    • Undergraduate physics: 1 student
    • Undergraduate calculus: 1 student
    • High school physics: 1 student
    • High school mathematics: 2 students
    • 5th grade English and mathematics: 1 student

Professional Experience

  • CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY
    • Data Analyst
    • Contributed to the Medical Evidence Project by building a comprehensive meta-analysis database of 9000+ studies and 300,000+ analyses, enhancing transparency and reproducibility in biomedical research.
    • Advanced methods for identifying and correcting errors in published meta-analyses, strengthening the reliability of evidence that informs clinical and scientific practice.
    • JUL 2025 – PRESENT
  • SUBSTITUTE MILITARY SERVICE TRAINING CENTER, NATIONAL CONSCRIPTION AGENCY, MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR, TAIWAN
    • Carried out administrative chores in the Information Center
    • NOV 2015 – AUG 2016
  • NEUROSKY COMPANY TAIPEI BRANCH, TAIWAN
    • Business Development Agent
    • Conducted data collection and analysis for a research on heart-rate variability (HRV) algorithm
    • Assisted in the development of a portable electrocardiography (ECG) measuring device
    • Collaborated with MacKay Memorial Hospital on the clinical trial of ECG device. The research resulted in a chip later utilized by ASUS Inc. to develop the “ASUS ZenWatch”
    • In charge of collaboration with Sony’s internet business unit, So-Net Entertainment Taiwan Limited and, Hack NTU, a non-profit platform facilitating nation-wide innovation and entrepreneurship
    • Promoted NeuroSky at Computex Taipei in both 2014 and 2015
    • JUN 2014 – SEP 2015
  • ATP ELECTRONICS, TAIWAN
    • Project management intern
    • Rival company information analysis
    • White paper drafting and presentation
    • Data sheet revisal
    • JUL 2013 – AUG 2013

Other Experience

  • Departmental Showcase, JHU
    • Organizer
    • Presented during the Johns Hopkins University alumni week event
    • Presented and promoted research works in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and the Department of Cognitive Science.
    • APR 2025
  • Brains, Minds, and Machines Summer School
    • Student
    • Marine Biological Laboratory, Wood Hole, MA, USA
    • A three-week course series delving deeply into the research on intelligence.
    • Course project: Seeking the neural representations of programming algorithms using recurrent neural network
    • AUG 2024
  • Dagstuhl Seminar #22402
  • Cognitive Neuroscience Society
    • Symposium organizer
    • Symposium title: “Neural Recycling of Reasoning Networks by STEM Domains: Evidence from Studies of Math, Engineering, and Programming“
    • Invited speakers other than myself:
    • APR 2022
  • Early Career Colloquium, JHU
    • Committee member
    • Faculty advisor: Dr. Kishore Kuchibhotla
    • Graduate Student Lead Organizers: Caitlin Corona-Long & Emily Sanford
    • Hosted speaker Asieh Zadbood in April 2023
    • Hosted speaker Kathryn Graves in April 2022
    • 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Chief Editor, Sci’more Podcast, JHU
    • A derivation from Project Bridge, a student-led science communication organization at Johns Hopkins University
    • Edited more than 10 episodes, created the podcast trailer, and trained other editors
    • AUG 2020 – JUN 2023
  • Homewood Campus Representative, Taiwanese Student Association, JHU
    • Organized online welcome party and other activities
    • SEP 2020 – JUN 2021
  • Narrator, Center for the Advancement of Science Education, NTU
    • Narrated 12 approximately five-minute long podcast episodes
    • 2014 – 2015
  • Volunteer, Eden Social Welfare Foundation, Taiwan
    • Cared for mentally challenged senior citizens
    • 2012

Online Education

  • Google Generative AI Intensive Course
    • A one-week introduction to the latest artificial intelligence and hands-on workshop.
    • MAY 2025
  • LinkdeIn Learning courses
    • Intermediate SQL for Data Scientists – Certificate – Completed in SEP 2024
    • SQL for Data Analysis – Certificate – Completed in SEP 2024
    • SQL Essential Training – Certificate – Completed in OCT 2023
    • SQL: Data Reporting and Analysis – Certificate – Completed in SEP 2023
    • Audacity: Cleaning and Repairing Audio – Certificate – Completed in FEB 2022
    • NLP with Python for Machine Learning Essential Training – Certificate – Completed in JUN 2021
    • Delivering an Authentic Elevator Pitch – Certificate – Completed in MAY 2021
    • Learning Audacity – Certificate – Completed in APR 2021
    • Python for Data Science Essential Training Part 1 – Certificate – Completed in APR 2021
    • First Look: Python 3.9 – Certificate – Completed in MAR 2021
  • Coursera: Principles of fMRI 1 & 2
  • Coursera: Applied Data Science with Python
    • Course instructor: Dr. Christopher Brooks, Dr. Kevyn Collins-Thompson, Dr. Daniel Romero, Dr. V. G. Vinod Vydiswaran, University of Michigan
    • A five-course specialization consisting:
      • Introduction to Data Science in Python
      • Applied Plotting, Charting & Data Representations in Python
      • Applied Machine Learning in Python
      • Applied Text Mining in Python
      • Applied Social Network Analysis in Python
    • Certificate of completion
    • Completed in SEP 2017
  • Coursera: Computational Neuroscience
    • Course instructor: Dr. Rajesh P. N. Rao, Dr. Adrienne Fairhall, University of Washington
    • Certificate of completion
    • Completed in NOV 2016
  • Coursera: Medical Neuroscience
  • Coursera: Machine Learning

Awards and Funding

  • National Science Foundation grant #2318685
    • Collaborated on the preparation of this grant application.
    • PI: Dr. Marina Bedny
    • Project: Neural recycling and plasticity in computer programming expertise
    • 2023 – 2026
  • G. Stanley Hall Scholar’s Award
    • Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, JHU
    • Awarded for my continuing research project on the neuroscience of programming code comprehension
    • 2023
  • Winner of the Science Gong Show, JHU
    • Introduced my research works to the general public without invoking scientific jargons.
    • 2023
  • COVID Relief Dissertation Completion Award
    • Granted by Johns Hopkins University
    • Dissertation title: Neural recycling for programming: exploring the cognitive and neural substrates of a culturally-invented symbol system
    • 2023
  • Special Conference Travel Award
    • Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, JHU
    • Funds my trip to the Dagstuhl Seminar held in Germany
    • 2022
  • 3rd Place
    • Trainee research pitch competition, International Mind, Brain and Education Society
    • 2021
  • Robert S. Waldrop Junior Investigator Award
    • Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, JHU
    • Awarded for my first-year research project on the neuroscience of programming code comprehension
    • 2021
  • Alumni Choice Award
  • Walter L. Clark Teaching Award
    • Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, JHU
    • Awarded for my performance as a TA of Introduction to Psychology, taught by Dr. Chaz Firestone
    • 2020
  • Study Abroad Scholarship
    • Ministry of Education, Taiwan
    • Project: The neural mechanism of programming code comprehension, taking Python as an example
    • 2019 – 2020
  • 3rd Place
  • Gold Medal Award
    • Long Story Short presentation competition, NTU, Taiwan
    • 2013
  • President’s Award for Academic Excellence
    • NTU, Taiwan
    • Awarded 4 times during my 4 years of undergraduate study
    • 2009 – 2013

Skills

  • Scientific techniques:
    • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data collection and analysis:
      • General linear model (GLM) analysis with FreeSurfer software
      • Inter-subject correlation (ISC); inter-subject functional correlation (ISFC)
      • Shared-response model (SRM)
      • Representational similarity analysis (RSA) and other multi-variate pattern analysis (MVPA) techniques
    • Data analysis with machine learning algorithms; data science
      • Convolutional neural network (CNN) and recurrent neural network (RNN)
    • Magnetoencephalogram (MEG) data analysis with MNE software
    • Power spectral density analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) data
  • Software and programming skills:
    • Python, MATLAB, R, C++, SQL
    • Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint (especially proficient in PowerPoint)
    • Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat
    • Corel VideoStudio
    • Audacity
  • Language skills:
    • Mandarin Chinese (native)
    • English (almost native)
    • Japanese (proficient, JLPT N1)
    • French (primary)

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