Yu Yang, PH.D.

Ph.D. Candidate –  LIMBS Laboratory
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics (LCSR)

Email: x at jhu dot edu   (x = yyang138)

Academic History:

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.

M.S.E. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.

B.E. in Electrical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.

Research Interests:

Electric Fish, System Identification, Motor Learning, Active Sensing, Animal Locomotion

Review Article:

  • [PDF] [DOI] J. Mongeau, Y. Yang, I. Escalante, N. J. Cowan, and K. Jayaram, “Moving in an Uncertain World: Robust and Adaptive Control of Locomotion from Organisms to Machine Intelligence,” Integr Comp Biol, p. icae121, 2024.
    [Bibtex] 
    @article{mongeaumoving2024,
author = {Jean-Michel Mongeau and Yu Yang and Ignacio Escalante and Noah J. Cowan and Kaushik Jayaram},
title = {Moving in an Uncertain World: Robust and Adaptive Control of Locomotion from Organisms to Machine Intelligence},
journal = {Integr Comp Biol},
pages = {icae121},
year = 2024,
month = 08,
issn = {1540-7063},
doi = {10.1093/icb/icae121},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icae121}
}

Journal Articles:

  • [PDF] [DOI] Y. Yang, D. G. Yared, E. S. Fortune, and N. J. Cowan, “Sensorimotor adaptation to destabilizing dynamics in weakly electric fish,” Curr Biol, vol. 34, iss. 10, pp. 2118-2131, 2024.
    [Bibtex] 
    @article {yangsensorimotor2024,
author = {Yang, Yu and Yared, Dominic G. and Fortune, Eric S. and Cowan, Noah J.},
title = {Sensorimotor adaptation to destabilizing dynamics in weakly electric fish},
year = {2024},
volume = 34,
number = 10,
month = May,
pages = {2118-2131},
journal = {Curr Biol},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.019},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.019}
}

  • [PDF] [DOI] D. Biswas, A. Lamperski, Y. Yang, K. Hoffman, J. Guckenheimer, E. S. Fortune, and N. J. Cowan, “Mode switching in organisms for solving explore-versus-exploit problems,” Nat Mach Intell, vol. 5, iss. 11, p. 1285–1296, 2023.
    [Bibtex] 
    @article{biswasmode2023,
author = {Debojyoti Biswas and Andrew Lamperski and Yu Yang and Kathleen Hoffman and John Guckenheimer and Eric S. Fortune and Noah J. Cowan},
title = {Mode switching in organisms for solving explore-versus-exploit problems},
year = {2023},
journal = {Nat Mach Intell},
volume = 5,
number = 11,
pages = {1285--1296},
doi = {10.1038/s42256-023-00745-y},
URL = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-023-00745-y}
}

Conference Abstracts (not peer reviewed papers):

  • M. Hales, A. Rajanala, Y. Yang, C. J. Pierce, M. Zhu, P. N. Benfey, N. J. Cowan, and D. I. Goldman, “Characterizing interactions between forced sinusoidal gravitropism and circumnutation in rice roots,” in Soc Int Comp Biol, 2025.
    [Bibtex] 
    @INPROCEEDINGS{halescharacterizing2025,
author = {M. Hales and A. Rajanala and Y. Yang and C. J. Pierce and M. Zhu and P. N. Benfey and N. J. Cowan and D. I. Goldman},
title = {Characterizing interactions between forced sinusoidal gravitropism and circumnutation in rice roots},
booktitle = {Soc Int Comp Biol},
year = 2025,
month = jan
}
  • Y. Yang, H. Yeh, D. Biswas, and N. J. Cowan, “Illumination mediates a switch in both active sensing and control in weakly electric fish,” in Soc Int Comp Biol, 2025.
    [Bibtex] 
    @INPROCEEDINGS{yangillumination2025,
author = {Y. Yang and H. Yeh and D. Biswas and N. J. Cowan},
title = {Illumination mediates a switch in both active sensing and control in weakly electric fish},
booktitle = {Soc Int Comp Biol},
year = 2025,
month = jan,
}
  • M. Hales, Y. Yang, A. Rajanala, C. J. Pierce, M. Zhu, P. N. Benfey, N. J. Cowan, and D. I. Goldman, “Task-level Dynamics of Rice Root Gravitropism Revealed by Frequency Response Analysis,” in American Physical Society March Meeting, 2024.
    [Bibtex] 
    @INPROCEEDINGS{halestask2024,
author = {M. Hales and Y. Yang and A. Rajanala and C. J. Pierce and M. Zhu and P. N. Benfey and N. J. Cowan and D. I. Goldman},
title = {Task-level Dynamics of Rice Root Gravitropism Revealed by Frequency Response Analysis},
booktitle = {American Physical Society March Meeting},
year = 2024,
month = Mar,
}
  • M. Hales, Y. Yang, A. Rajanala, C. J. Pierce, M. Zhu, P. N. Benfey, N. J. Cowan, and D. I. Goldman, “Control Theory Analysis of Rice Root Response to Frequency-dependent Environmental Stimuli,” in Soc Int Comp Biol, 2024.
    [Bibtex] 
    @INPROCEEDINGS{halescontrol2024,
author = {M. Hales and Y. Yang and A. Rajanala and C. J. Pierce and M. Zhu and P. N. Benfey and N. J. Cowan and D. I. Goldman},
title = {Control Theory Analysis of Rice Root Response to Frequency-dependent Environmental Stimuli},
booktitle = {Soc Int Comp Biol},
year = 2024,
month = jan,
note = {Division of Botany, Best student presentation award}
}
  • Y. Yang, D. G. Yared, and N. J. Cowan, “Sensorimotor Adaptation to Novel Dynamics in Weakly Electric Fish,” in Soc Int Comp Biol, 2023.
    [Bibtex] 
    @INPROCEEDINGS{yangsensorimotor2023,
author = {Y. Yang and D. G. Yared and N. J. Cowan},
title = {Sensorimotor Adaptation to Novel Dynamics in Weakly Electric Fish},
booktitle = {Soc Int Comp Biol},
year = 2023,
month = jan
}
  • H. Yeh, Y. Yang, and N. J. Cowan, “Luminance modulates sensorimotor delay in refuge tracking of Eigenmannia virescens,” in Soc Int Comp Biol, 2023.
    [Bibtex] 
    @INPROCEEDINGS{yehluminance2023,
author = {H. Yeh and Y. Yang and N. J. Cowan},
title = {Luminance modulates sensorimotor delay in refuge tracking of {E}igenmannia virescens},
booktitle = {Soc Int Comp Biol},
year = 2023,
month = jan
}
  • S. Zerefa, D. Biswas, Y. Yang, and N. J. Cowan, “Decoding Active Sensing via Tracking Behavior in Weakly Electric Fish,” in Soc Int Comp Biol, 2023.
    [Bibtex] 
    @INPROCEEDINGS{zerefadecoding2023,
author = {S. Zerefa and D. Biswas and Y. Yang and N. J. Cowan},
title = {Decoding Active Sensing via Tracking Behavior in Weakly Electric Fish},
booktitle = {Soc Int Comp Biol},
year = 2023,
month = jan
}
  • Y. Yang, D. G. Yared, L. N. Peterson, E. S. Fortune, and N. J. Cowan, “Can a fish ride a bicycle? The impacts of destabilizing feedback on refuge tracking behavior in Eigenmannia virescens,” in Soc Int Comp Biol, 2022.
    [Bibtex] 
    @INPROCEEDINGS{yangbicycle2022,
author = { Yang, Y and Yared, D G and Peterson, L N and Fortune, E S and Cowan, N J},
title = {Can a fish ride a bicycle? The impacts of destabilizing feedback on refuge tracking behavior in {E}igenmannia virescens},
booktitle = {Soc Int Comp Biol},
year = 2022,
month = jan
}
  • Y. Yang, M. Wilkinson, L. Whitcomb, and N. Cowan, “Modeling nonlinearities of refuge tracking in Eigenmania virescens,” in Soc Int Comp Biol, 2021.
    [Bibtex] 
    @INPROCEEDINGS{yangnonlinearities2021,
title = {Modeling nonlinearities of refuge tracking in {E}igenmania virescens},
author = {Yang, Y and Wilkinson, MG and Whitcomb, LL and Cowan, NJ},
booktitle = {Soc Int Comp Biol},
year = 2021,
month = jan
}
  • Y. Yang, Y. Pan, I. Uyanik, and N. J. Cowan, “The Selection of Stimuli Affects Non-parametric System Identification for Refuge Tracking Behavior in Eigenmannia virescens,” in Soc Int Comp Biol, 2020.
    [Bibtex] 
    @INPROCEEDINGS{yangselection2020,
author = {Yang, Y and Pan, Y and Uyanik, I and Cowan, N J},
title = {The Selection of Stimuli Affects Non-parametric System Identification for Refuge Tracking Behavior in {E}igenmannia virescens},
booktitle = {Soc Int Comp Biol},
year = 2020,
month = jan
}
  • B. Nixon, I. Uyanik, Y. Yang, and N. J. Cowan, “Sensory salience affects sensorimotor delay in the tracking response of the glass knifefish,” in Soc Int Comp Biol, 2019.
    [Bibtex] 
    @INPROCEEDINGS{nixonsensory2019,
author = {B. Nixon and I. Uyanik and Y. Yang and N. J. Cowan},
title = {Sensory salience affects sensorimotor delay in the
tracking response of the glass knifefish},
booktitle = {Soc Int Comp Biol},
year = 2019,
month = jan
}

Thesis:

  • [PDF] Y. Yang, “A Comparison of System Identification Techniques for Refuge Tracking Behavior in Eigenmannia virescens,” Master Thesis, 2020.
    [Bibtex] 
    @MASTERSTHESIS{yangcomparison2019,
author = {Yu Yang},
title = {A Comparison of System Identification Techniques for Refuge Tracking Behavior in Eigenmannia virescens},
school = {Johns Hopkins University},
year = 2020
}

Awards:

  • Financial Award for Neural Systems & Behavior (NS&B) summer course at Marine Biological Laboratory, 2024 
  • BISCCIT Exchange Award to to CRAB Lab at Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023
  • Creel Family Teaching Assistant Award, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 2023
  • Whiting School of Engineering Teaching Assistant Award, Johns Hopkins University, 2023