2006-2010, B.S. in Psychology and minor in Computer Science, Peking University

2010-2016, PhD, Brain&Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, USA

2016-2020, Postdoc, University of Minnesota, USA.

2020-2020, Postdoc, National Institute of Mental Health, USA.

2020-2025, Principal Investigator, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

2026-Now, Tenure-Track Associate Professor, Peking University

Yang, L., Lyu, M., Wang, Y.J., Xie, X., Zhen, Z., Lai, J.H., Zhang, R.Y.*. (2026). Mental Bootstrapping Enables Human-Level Concept Learning in Self-Supervised Deep Models. Science Advances, 12, eaea7202.DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aea7202. Link, PDF

Yang, L., Zhang, R.Y., Wang, Y., & Xie, X. (2026). MMA++: Effective Multi-Modal Adaptation for Vision-Language Models. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (TPAMI), 48(9), 10414-10428. Link, PDF

Zhong, G., Chen, T., Liu, J., Wei, Y., Zhang, X., Yang, P., Zhang, R.Y., Voon, V., Du, J., & Zhao, M. (2026). Attenuated dynamic impulse control in risky action under the escalating risk and reward in gambling disorder. Psychological Medicine, 56, e141, 1-9. Link, PDF

Saha, S., Li, S., Tuckute, G., Li, Y., Zhang, R.Y., Wehbe, L., Fedorenko, E., & Khosla, M. (2026). Modeling the language cortex with form-independent and enriched representations of sentence meaning reveals remarkable semantic abstractness. ICLR Re-Align Workshop. (accepted)

Xia, Y.F.#, Zhong, Y.#, Cheng, Z.J., Cong, E.*, Xu, Y.*, & Zhang, R.Y.*. (2026). Neurocomputational mechanisms of reward-based online mood regulation in adolecents with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Psychoradiology, 6, kkag015. Link, PDF

Jin, Z., Li, S., Gu, S.*, Zhang, R.Y.*, & L,Y.*. (2026). A large-scale vision-language fMRI dataset for multi-modal semantic processing. Scientific Data. Link.

Sun, Z.H., Zhang, R.Y., Zhen, Z., Wang, D.H., Li, Y.J., Wan, X. & You, H. (2026). Systematic Abductive Reasoning via Diverse Relation Representations in Vector-symbolic Architecture. IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems. Link.

Yang, L, Xie, X., Zheng, W., Fang, F.*, Zhang, R.Y.*. (2026) Neural prediction errors as a unified cue of abstract visual reasoning. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (TPAMI), 48(2):1795-1810. Link, PDF.

Xia, Y.F., Gao.Y.Y., Cheng, Z.J., Fang, Z., Li, W., Kishimoto, T., Guo, L., Jiang, H., Zhang, R.Y.*. Atypical contributions of reward decisions to momentary mood in individuals with methamphetamine use disorder. BMC Psychiatry , 26, 57. Link, PDF

Yang, L., Zhen, H., Li, L., Li, Y., Zhang, H., Xie, X., Zhang, R.Y.*. (2025). Functional diversity of visual cortex improves constraint-free natural image reconstruction from human brain activity. Fundamental Research, 5(6), 2639-2648. Link, PDF

Huang, L., Shen, S., Sun, Y., Ou, S., Zhang, R.Y., Lange, F.P., Zhang, X. (2025). Center-surround inhibition in expectation and its underlying computational and artificial neural network models. eLife, 14:RP107301. Link, PDF

Teng, X.*, Zhang, R.Y.*. (2025). Sequential temporal anticipation characterized by neural power modulation and in recurrent neural networks. eLife, 13:RP99383. Link, PDF

Cheng, X., Shen, J., Li, J., Yuan, W., Wang, D., Wang, H., Zhang, R.Y., Xia, Y., Cao, X., Sha, W., He, S., Liu, Y., Tang, J., Zhang, Y., Cheng, Y., Yuan, T., & Zhao, D. (2025). Decision-Making Signatures of Methamphetamine and Alcohol Use Disorders. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2025.08.008, Link, PDF

Luo, G., Ma, X., Yea, J., Liu, Y., Xia, Y., Li, C., Kuang, Y., Zhang, R.Y., Lou, S., Yu, K., Wu, M., Li, W. (2025). Audio multi-feature fusion detection for depression based on graph convolutional networks. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci, 1150(1), 309-320. Link, PDF

Zhang, R. Y.#, Zhao, Y.J.#, Zhang, L., Ran, X., Chen, J., Ku, Y. (2025). Unexpected higher resilience to distraction during visual working memory in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia, 11, 93. Link, PDF

Tomoko Kishimoto#, Sun, L.#, Wang, C., Xu, H., Fu, Y., Cheng, Z.J., Jin, J., Zhang, R.Y.*. (2025). Behavioral and computational signatures of visual working memory deficits in adolescents with anxiety disorder. Current Psychology (44),10754-10768. Link, PDF

Cheng, Y.A., Sanayei, M., Chen, X., Jia, K., Li, S., Fang, F., Watanabe, T., Thiele, A., Zhang, R.Y.* (2025). A neural geometry approach comprehensively explains apparently conflicting models of visual perceptual learning. Nature Human Behaviour, 9, 1023-1040. Link, PDF

Zhang, Y., Hedley, F.E., Zhang, R.Y.*, Frances Jin*. (2025).Towards quantitative cognitive-behavioral modeling of psychopathology: An active inference account of social anxiety disorder. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science,134(4),363-388. Link, PDF

Pan, W., Geng, H., Zhang, L., Fengler, A., Frank, M.J., Zhang, R.Y.*, Hu, C.P.*. (2025). dockerHDDM: A user-friendly environment for Bayesian Hierarchical Drift-Diffusion Modeling. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/25152459241298700. Link, PDF

Yang, L., Zhang, R.Y., Chen, Q., Xie, X. (2025). Learning with enriched inductive biases for vision-language models. International Journal of Computer Vision. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11263-025-02354-1. Link, PDF

Chai, Y*. Zhang, R.Y. (2024). Exploring methodological frontiers in laminar fMRI. Psychoradiology, 4, kkae027. Link, PDF

Li S, Li Y*, Zhang, R.Y.*. (2024). Reconstructing continuous language from brain signals measured by fMRI based brain-computer interface. Brain-X, 2:e70001. Link, PDF

Gao, Y-Y., Fang, Z., Zhou, Q.*, Zhang, R.Y.*. (2024). Enhanced 'learning to learn' through a hierarchical dual-learning system: the case of action video game players. BMC Psychology, 12, 460. Link, PDF

Yang, L., Zhang, R.Y., Wang, Y., Xie, X. (2024). MMA: Multi-Modal Adapter for Vision-Language Models. In Proceedings of the IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), 23826-23837. Link, PDF

Fang, Z., Zhao, M., Xu, T., Li, Y., Xie, H., Quan, P., Geng, H., Zhang, R.Y.*. (2024) Individuals with anxiety and depression use atypical decision strategies in an uncertain world. eLife 13:RP93887. Link, PDF

Wang, Q.*, Wang, Q., Zhang, R.Y.*. (2023). Claim causality with clarity. Psychoradiology, 3, kkad007. Link, PDF

Cheng, Z.J.#, Yang, L.#, Zhang, W.H., Zhang, R.Y.*. (2023). Representational geometries reveal differential effects of response correlations on population codes in neurophysiology and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Journal of Neuroscience, 43(24), 4498-4512. Link, PDF.

Zhao, S., You, H., Zhang, R.Y., Si, B., Zhen, Z., Wan, X., Wang, D.H. (2023). An interpretable neuro-symbolic model on raven’s progressive matrices reasoning. Cognitive Computation, 15(5), 1703-1724. Link, PDF

Kuang, Y., Ma, D., Lan, Z.H., Zeng, S.H., Li, Y., Shang, M., Zhang, R.Y., Wang, L.H., Zhao, B.L., Li, W.D. (2023). The rapid change of mental health in college students after on-campus quarantine in Shanghai 2022 Covid lockdown. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1132575. Link, PDF

Yang, L., You, H., Zhen, Z., Wang, D-H., Wan, X., Xie, X., Zhang, R.Y.*. (2023). Neural prediction errors enable abstract analogical reasoning in human standard intelligence tests. In International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML). PMLR. Link, PDF.

Xu, Y.#, Yang, L.#, You, H., Zhen, Z., Wang, D-H., Wan, X., Xie, X., Zhang, R.Y.*. (2023). RuleMatch: matching abstract rules for semi-supervised learning of human standard intelligence tests. In Proceedings of the 32nd International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI). Link, PDF.

Kong, L.#, Qiu, S.#, Chen, Y., He, Z., Huang, P., He, Q., Zhang, R.Y., Feng, X-Q, Deng, L, Li, Y, Yan, F., Yang, G-Z., Feng, Y. (2023). Assessment of vibration modulated regional cerebral blood flow with MRI. NeuroImage, 119934. Link, PDF

Y, A., Lu, W., Wang, S., You, H., Zhang, R.Y., Wang, D.H., Zhen, Z., Wan, X. (2022). Visual perception inference on raven’s progressive matrices by semi-supervised contrastive learning. In (eds) Artificial Intelligence. CICAI 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 13605. Springer, Cham. (best student paper award). LINK, PDF

Grier, M.D., Yacoub, E., Adriany, G., Lagore, R.L., Harel, N., Zhang, R. Y., Lenglet, C., Ugurbil, K., Zimmermann*, J., Heibronner, S.R*. (2022). Ultra-high field (10.5T) diffusion-weighted MRI of the macaque brain. NeuroImage, 119200. Link, PDF

Geng, H., Chen, J.*, Hu, C.P., Jin, J, Raymond C. K. Chan, Li, Y., Hu, X., Zhang, R.Y.*, Zhang, L. (2022). Promoting computational psychiatry in China. Nature Human Behaviour, 6, 615-617. Link, PDF

Zhao, Y.J.#, Ma, T.#, Zhang, L., Ran, X., Zhang, R. Y.*, Ku, Y.* (2021). Atypically larger variability of resource allocation accounts for visual working memory deficits in schizophrenia. PLoS computational biology, 17(11): e1009544. Link, PDF

Zhang, R. Y.#, Chopin, A.#, Shibata, K., Lu, Z. L., Jaeggi, S., Buschkuehl, M., Green, C.S., & Bavelier, D. (2021). Action video game play facilitates 'learning to learn'. Communications biology, 4, 1154. Link, PDF

Zhang, C., Duan, X., Wang, L., Li, Y., Yan, B., Hu, G., Zhang, R. Y.*, Tong, L*. (2021). Dissociable neural representations of adversarially perturbed images in deep neural networks and the human brain. Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, 15, 677925. Link, PDF

Yang, L., Zhang, R. Y., Li, L., Xie, X. (2021). SimAM: a simple, parameter-free attention module for convolutional neural networks. In International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML). PMLR. Link, PDF

Kishimoto, T., Wen, X., Li, M., Zhang, R. Y., Yao, N., Huang, Y., Qian, M. (2021). Vigilance-avoidance toward negative faces in social anxiety with and without comorbid depression. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 410. Link, PDF

Barbot, A., Park, W. J., Zhang, R. Y., Ng, C., Huxlin, K. R., Tadin, D., Yoon, G. (2021). Functional reallocation of sensory processing resources caused by long-term neural adaptation to altered optics. eLife, 10, e58734. Link, PDF

Liu, S., Zhang, R. Y., & Kishimoto, T. (2021). Analysis and prospect of clinical psychology based on topic models: hot research topics and scientific trends in the latest decades. Psychology, health & medicine, 26(4), 395-407. Link, PDF

Kay, K., Jamison, K. W., Zhang, R. Y., & Uğurbil, K. (2020). A temporal decomposition method for identifying venous effects in task-based fMRI. Nature Methods, 17(10), 1033-1039. Link, PDF

Zhang, R. Y.*, Wei, X. X., & Kay, K. (2020). Understanding multivariate brain activity: evaluating the effect of voxelwise noise correlations on population codes in functional magnetic resonance imaging. PLoS computational biology, 16(8), e1008153. Link, PDF

Zhang, R. Y.*, & Kay, K. (2020). Flexible top-down modulation in human ventral temporal cortex. NeuroImage, 218, 116964. Link, PDF

Margalit, E., Jamison, K. W., Weiner, K. S., Vizioli, L.,Zhang, R. Y., Kay, K. N., & Grill-Spector, K. (2020). Ultra-high-resolution fMRI of human ventral temporal cortex reveals differential representation of categories and domains. Journal of Neuroscience, 40(15), 3008-3024. Link, PDF

Yao, S., Akter, F., Zhang, R. Y., Li, Z. (2020). Letter to the Editor. Structural retinotopic analysis at 7-Tesla MRI in pituitary macroadenomas. Journal of Neurosurgery, 133(5), 1622-1624. Link, PDF

Yao, S., Lin, P., Vera, M., Akter, F., Zhang, R. Y., Zeng, A., Golby, A.J., Xu, G., Tie, Y., & Song, J. (2020). Hormone levels are related to functional compensation in prolactinomas: a resting-state fMRI study. Journal of the Neurological Science, 411, 116720. Link, PDF

Zhang, R. Y.*, Wei, X.X., Teng, X., Kay, K. (2019). Trial-by-trial voxelwise noise correlations improve population coding of orientation in human V1. Proceedings of Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience (CCN). PDF

Zhang, C., Qiao, K., Wang, L., Tong, L., Hu, G.,Zhang, R. Y.*, & Yan, B*. (2019). A visual encoding model based on deep neural networks and transfer learning. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 325, 108318. Link, PDF

Fang, W., Zhang, R. Y., Zhao, Y., Wang, L., & Zhou, Y. D. (2019). Attenuation of pain perception induced by the rubber hand illusion. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13, 261. Link, PDF

Kay, K., Jamison, K. W., Vizioli, L., Zhang, R. Y., Margalit, E., & Ugurbil, K. (2019). A critical assessment of data quality and venous effects in ultra-high-resolution fMRI. NeuroImage, 189, 847-869. Link, PDF.

Zhang, R. Y.*, & Tadin, D. (2019). Disentangling locus of perceptual learning in the visual hierarchy of motion processing. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-10. Link, PDF, Supp

Zhang, R. Y.*, & Kay, K. (2018). The impact of noise correlation on multivariate pattern classification in fMRI. Proceedings of Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience (CCN). PDF

Zhang, C., Duan, X., Zhang, R. Y.*, Tong, L*. (2018). Representation of adversarial images in deep neural networks and the human brain. Proceedings of Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience (CCN). PDF

Zhao, Y., Ran, X., Zhang, L., Zhang, R. Y.*, Ku, Y*. (2018). Modeling visual working memory in Schizophrenia. Proceedings of Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience (CCN). PDF

Park, W. J., Schauder, K. B., Zhang, R. Y., Bennetto, L., & Tadin, D. (2017). High internal noise and poor external noise filter characterize perception in autism spectrum disorder. Scientific reports, 7(1), 1-12. Link, PDF

Zhang, R. Y., Engel, S. A., & Kay, K. (2017). Binocular Rivalry: a window into cortical competition and suppression. Journal of Indian Institute of Sciences, 97(4), 477-485. Link, PDF

Zhang, R. Y.*, Kay, K. (2017). Attentional field model does not explain task-dependent spatial representation in human ventral temporal cortex. Proceedings of Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience (CCN). PDF

Nyquist, J. B., Lappin, J. S., Zhang, R. Y., & Tadin, D. (2016). Perceptual training yields rapid improvements in visually impaired youth. Scientific reports, 6(1), 1-13. Link, PDF ~Press Release, Science Daily

Cavanaugh, M. R.#, Zhang, R. Y.#, Melnick, M. D., Das, A., Roberts, M., Tadin, D., Carrasco, M., & Huxlin, K. R. (2015). Visual recovery in cortical blindness is limited by high internal noise. Journal of Vision, 15(10):9, 1-18. Link, PDF

Bejjanki, V. R.#, Zhang, R. Y.#, Li, R., Pouget, A., Green, C. S., Lu, Z. L., & Bavelier, D. (2014). Action video game facilitates development of better perceptual templates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(47), 16961-16966. Link, PDF, Supp, CBS News , Bloomberg

Zhang, R. Y.#, Kwon, O. S.#, & Tadin, D. (2013). Illusory Movement of stationary stimuli in the visual periphery: evidence for a strong centrifugal prior in motion processing. Journal of Neuroscience, 33(10), 4415-4423. Link, PDF