I was born in Cleveland, Ohio and then moved back to Taiwan with my parents when I was about 1.5 years old. I grew up in Hsinchu, Taiwan and came back to the states in 2008 to pursue my PhD in Psychology at Rice University.

Life in National Chengchi University as a undergraduate student  was definitely a highlight in my life where I met 7 amazing girls, first time lived on campus, started to accumulate the knowledge about psychology, no longer was crammed with exams but diverse life experiences and discover my research interests in psychology. Under the supervision of Dr. Chien-Ming Yang, I worked in Sleep Lab where I learnt how to use polysomnogram (PSG) recording physiological data during sleep, conducted a large scale survey about college students’ sleep qualities, experienced how a lab works, and first time gave a poster presentation at an international conference (Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS)). I feel fortunate to acquire such a valuable research experience which helped me to decide to pursue my PhD in psychology.

Right after graduating from National Chengchi University, I was admitted as a PhD student in the Department of Psychology at Rice University, working with my adviser Dr. Denise Chen, a former lab mate Dr. Wen Zhou and a lot of wonderful Rice undergrads. Starting from knowing nothing about human olfaction, now I can come up with my own research ideas, program experiments using E-prime and Matlab, and design and conduct olfactory experiments using behavioral measurements, physiological recordings and fMRI techniques to answer research questions and concur the obstacles on the path of understanding human sense of smell. In addition to doing research, I also learn how to manage the lab (e.g., recruit research assistants, order and fix lab supplies, coordinate lab meeting etc.) and advise undergraduate students in doing research.

I acquired my MA in Psychology at Rice in May, 2011 and am aiming to receive my PhD in Psychology at Rice in May, 2013.  I find human olfaction research fascinating and look forward to spending some time on studying gustatory sensation. I expect myself to specialize in chemosensory perception, including both olfactory and gustatory sensations.