Sangyu Xu (徐桑榆)

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Systems Neuroscience 2016, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Thesis Supervisor: Susumu Tonegawa)

B.S. in Biology (Minor in Music), University of California, San Diego (Thesis Supervisor: Charles Zuker)

WORK EXPERIENCE

Research Fellow, Adam Claridge-Chang Lab, 2017 – present

Neuromodulatory circuits in foraging and feeding

Postdoctoral Associate, Susumu Tonegawa Lab, 2016-2017

Optogenetic dissection of dorsal raphe serotonergic circuits in intertemporal decision-making

Behavioral characterization of valence encoding in genetically defined basolateral amygdala neuronal populations (in collaboration with Joshua Kim and Michele Pignatelli)

Research Assistant, Philip Ingham Lab, 2007-2008

Research Assistant, Charles Zuker Lab, 2004-2007

PUBLICATIONS

Xu S*, Das G, Hueske E and Tonegawa S* (2017). Dorsal Raphe Serotonergic Neurons Control Intertemporal Choice under Trade-off. Current Biology  (*corresponding authors).

Kim J, Pignatelli M, Xu S, Itohara S and Tonegawa S (2016). Antagonistic Negative and Positive Neurons of the Basolateral Amygdala. Nature Neuroscience.

PRESENTATIONS

Espresso: A Novel Feeding Assay for Drosophila, Neurofly, Krakow, 2018

The Role of Serotonin Projections in VTA in Temporal Discounting of Reward, Motivational Circuits in Natural and Learned Behaviors Meeting, HHMI Janelia Research Campus, 2015

TEACHING

9.013 Molecular and Cellular Neurosciece II (Graduate), Spring 2011, MIT

9.301 Neural Plasticity in Learning and Memory (Graduate), Spring 2010, MIT

9.150 Biochemistry and Pharmacology of Synaptic Transmission (Undergraduate), Fall 2009, MIT

HONORS AND AWARDS

Walle Nauta Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, MIT, 2011

Provost’s Honor, Thurgood Marshall College, UCSD, 2004-2007

National Science Scholarship, A*STAR, Singapore, 2004

Honorable Mention, Singapore Physics Olympiad, Singapore, 2002

Gold, 17th International Festival of Advent and Christmas Music, Prague, Czech Republic, 2007