Coco Zhao

Over the past few years, I have been fortunate enough to get involved in research projects in really different disciplines and using different methods. I have been working with Dr. Rao in the Department of Neurology on research projects that aimed to better understand the neural mechanism underlying sleep deprivation using fMRI and EEG. I also did an independent project that used cognitive approaches to better understand how people make risky decisions. Since my sophomore year, I have been involved in a real-time fMRI project with Dr. Sheline at CNDS and Dr. Norman at Princeton, which uses fMRI and machine learning to learn the effectiveness of real-time fMRI feedback in reducing depression. During the COVID, I worked with engineers at Princeton remotely to redesign the architecture of real-time fMRI software and launched a new cloud-Based software framework that simplifies and standardizes Real-time fMRI.

If you are an undergraduate who is still unsure about your research interests, we can talk about research in Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Neuroscience, and Computer Science, and how they interact with each other. Please don't hesitate to contact me about starting a new study, conducting research as an international student, or any other research-related questions you may have!

• Research Assistant and Independent Study, CNDS, Penn Medicine, September 2019 - Present
• Research Assistant, Department of Neurology, Penn Medicine, June 2016 - Present
• Poster presentation, Society for Neuroeconomics 2018 Annual Meeting
• Poster presentation, 7th Annual BRAIN Initiative Investigators Meeting
• 4 Co-authored paper published in NeuroImage, Comprehensive psychiatry, etc.

Affinity group: International student