Yu Yang

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:

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}
}

  • Z. Ni*, C. Neifert*, A. Rosete*, A. Albeely*, Y. Yang*, M. Pratelli*, M. Brecht, and A. Clemens‡ , Tactile mechanisms and afferents underlying the rat pup transport response, Curr Biol, 2024. (* = contributed equally, ‡ = author for correspondence) DOI

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