Christopher Fang-Yen
Wilf Family Term Assistant Professor
Bioengineering (BE)
Research Expertise: Computational Neuroscience | Experimental Neuroscience | Medical Imaging and Imaging Instrumentation
Chris's laboratory explores how neural circuits generate behavior using the nematode C. elegans as a model. This 1-mm-long worm has only 302 neurons, and is the only animal for which the complete 'wiring diagram' of synaptic connectivity has been determined. This relative simplicity of the worm's nervous system, as well as its genetic manipulability and optical transparency, make it a unique model for understanding the neuronal basis of coordinated behavior. The laboratory adopts a multidisciplinary approach, applying and integrating tools from fields such as optics, molecular biology, microfluidics, and machine learning. In particular, Chris and his collaborators have recently developed a closed-loop system for optogenetic spatiotemporal control of neural activity in freely moving animals. Chris is also broadly interested in creating new tools for neuroscience and bioimaging.
Affiliations: Member of the Neuroscience Graduate Group
Education:
PhD Physics 2002 - MIT
BS Physics and Mathematics 1995 - Stanford University
Recent Publications 
- Long-Term Imaging of Caenorhabditis elegans Using Nanoparticle-Mediated Immobilization, Kim, E. | Sun, L. | Gabel, C.V. | Fang-Yen, C., PLoS ONE, 2013
- Proprioceptive Coupling within Motor Neurons Drives C. elegans Forward Locomotion, Wen, Q. | Po, M.D. | Hulme, E. | Chen, S. | Liu, X. | Kwok, S. | Gershow, M. | Leifer, A. | Butler, V. | Fang-Yen, C. | Kawano, T. | Schafer, W. | Whitesides, G. | Wyart, M. | Chklovskii, D. | Zhen, M. | Samuel, A., Neuron, 2012
- IRK-1 potassium channels mediate peptidergic inhibition of Caenorhabditis elegans serotonin neurons via a Go signaling pathway, Emtage, L. | Aziz-Zaman, S. | Padovan-Merhar, O. | Horvitz, H.R. | Fang-Yen, C. | Ringstad, N., Journal of Neuroscience, 2012
- Scanner-free and wide-field endoscopic imaging by using a single multimode optical fiber, Choi, Y. | Yoon, C. | Kim, M. | Yang, T.D. | Fang-Yen, C. | Dasari, R.R. | Lee, K.J. | Choi, W., Physical Review Letters, 2012
- Label-free imaging of membrane potential using membrane electromotility, Oh, S. | Fang-Yen, C. | Choi, W. | Yaqoob, Z. | Fu, D. | Park, Y. | Dassari, R.R. | Feld, M.S., Biophysical Journal, 2012