Greetings from our Reasearch Team!
Lab Director
Prof. Fan CAO
I am currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, the University of Hong Kong. I completed my Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University, with a research focus on reading development and disorders. Before joining HKU in 2022, I was an Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and Michigan State University, as well as a Professor at Sun Yat-Sen University. I have published over 50 papers in top journals in my field, such as eLife, Child Development, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, etc., with an H-index of 26
Co-Director
Dr. Lucy Shih Ju HSU
I received my Bachelor's and Master's Degree from the University of Michigan. I continued to pursue my Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at HKU and work as a local educational psychologist serving local kindergartens and primary schools for several years. My research interests focus on understanding children's language and literacy development in early childhood and exploring the relationship between children's neural and behavioral development through educational neuroscience. I am also a trained MBCT Teacher (Foundational Training by OMC and HKCFM), .b Foundation teacher (MiSP), MYMind program teacher and AMT Eline Snel Method teacher. For my clinical practices, I regularly provide mindfulness workshops to students, parents, and teachers.
Lab Members
Xiaohui YAN
As a postdoctoral fellow in the lab, I investigate the neurobiological substrates of reading and reading disability, with a dual emphasis on:
Neuroplasticity dynamics: Characterizing the trajectory of functional reorganization in typical or atypical readers' brains across development, using longitudinal neuroimaging (fMRI, DTI) and computational modeling.
Intervention efficacy: Mapping how cognitive/behavioral/neural interventions induce structural/cortical changes in reading-related networks.
Critical Period Analysis: Quantifying the neurodevelopmental window for therapeutic intervention success through decoding of neural plasticity patterns.
Yang FU
I am a second-year PhD student. I completed my undergraduate studies in psychology at Wuhan University and pursued my master's degree at Sun Yat-sen University, focusing on developmental dyslexia and second language acquisition.
I am interested in using using multimodal neuroimaging (e.g., fMRI, EEG, fNIRS) to investigate developmental disorders (e.g., dyslexia, ASD) and the neural mechanisms of language and reading development.
Mingyang HUA
I am Mingyang, currently an MPhil student under Dr Cao's supervision. My research focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying language and reading acquisition/development. Previously, I investigated the efficacy and neural responses to phonological intervention in Chinese adults with dyslexia. Right now, I work on a foreign speech acquisition project by using fMRI to study both temporary and long-term changes in neural dynamics and brain-behavior relationships following language training.
Yue WANG
My name is Yue Wang, a 2025 MPhil candidate with research interests in computational neuroscience and neural signal processing, advised by Prof. Fan Cao. I received my B.Eng. degree in Intelligent Medical Engineering from the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), supervised by Prof. Quanying Liu.
Shu Yuen SO
I am curious about phenomena related to language, visual perception, cognition, and neuroscience in general. My current research interest is in how Chinese characters are perceived by adult and child readers, as well as those with reading difficulties such as dyslexia.
My other interests include traveling, board games, hiking, magic realism, and video games.
Kat LIAO
Hihi~ I’m Katharine LIAO, or Kat for short. I’m a Research Assistant at NeuroLeaD, where I support research projects and take charge of lab management. My interests lie in educational equity and understanding learning and development in children with special needs, especially developmental dyslexia, ADHD, and ASD. I am committed to applying neuroscience to promote inclusive education and embrace neurodiversity.
Tina LIN
Hello, I’m Tina! I graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology, and recently completed my Master of Social Sciences in Psychology at the University of Hong Kong. I am particularly interested in children’s cognitive and neural development, and aspire to apply psychological research to support and enhance their well-being and learning. In my free time, I enjoy photography, fitness, and cafe hopping.
Yi CHENG
Hi, I'm Cheng Yi (Nathan), an undergraduate Psychology student at HKU. My main research interest lies in the neural mechanisms of learning and decision-making processes. In the lab, I primarily assisted with behavioral data collection, intervention implementation, and statistical analysis for the project investigating responsiveness to phonological interventions in Chinese children and adults with reading disabilities.
Xinle ZHANG
Hi, I am Olivia! I am a final-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Psychology at HKU, with a strong interest in brain science and neuropsychology. Currently, I work as a research intern, studying Neural Entrainment in ADHD at the Lab. I am passionate about exploring the neural mechanisms of mental disorders and their impact on brain structure and function, with the goal of bridging research and clinical applications.
Carrie LAU
I’m Carrie, a final-year biochemistry and neuroscience double major at HKU. I’m interested in the neurological basis of language difficulties affected by conditions such as developmental dyslexia and autism spectrum disorder. I also like to play Rubik’s cube and write novels.
Enya
My name’s Enya. I’m a final year Bachelor of Psychology student at HKU, and I’m a research intern at the Lab. I have a broad variety of interests, with topics surrounding neuropsychology, mental/neurobiological disorders and language being ones of the many (which is why I joined the lab). I’m mainly assisting with the “Hong Kong Children’s Chinese Language and Reading Development Study” project.
Luvy
Hi! I’m Luvy~ I'm an undergrad psychology student and I’m currently working as a research intern in the lab. I’m interested in studying language acquisition and understanding the mechanisms behind reading difficulties. I'm also keen to learn more about special educational needs and explore effective ways we can support those children. In my free time, I love hiking, cycling, and hunting for good food!
Chloe
Hii I’m Chloe Young, a Year 1 Psychology student. I am interested in learning more about different psychological aspects that influences one’s development, as I aim to become a Clinical Psychologist or an Educational Psycholigst in the future!
Karen
Hi, I’m Karen, a Master’s student at HKU and currently a research intern at NeuroLeaD. I have experience teaching SEN students about environmental issues and basic ecology. I’m passionate about understanding how different teaching models can better support SEN students, beyond traditional education methods. I’m particularly interested in exploring multi-sensory approaches to create new learning opportunities and provide inclusive education tailored to their needs.