I joined the lab as a PhD Student in 2019. I am interested in understanding the brain mechanism of higher-level, complex cognitive processing such as problem-solving, creative thinking, and decision-making. My research encompasses behavioral, computational, and neuroimaging methods.
Before entering the field of cognitive neuroscience, I led a quantitative research team and managed trading portfolios in the finance industry. My education started in mathematics, at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, followed by a doctoral degree in mathematics from Purdue University, specialized in probability. My enthusiasm lies in merging mathematical modeling and machine learning with brain research, aiming to enhance everyday life’s performance.
Publications
Insight and Creativity
Yu, Y., Krebs, L., Beeman, M. & Lai, V. (2024) Aha! moments in metaphor generation – implications for learning and creative outputs. Under review. 10.13140/RG.2.2.25566.45120
Yu, Y., Oh, Y, Kounios. J. & Beeman, M. (2023) EEG Spectral-Power Volatility Predicts Problem-Solving Outcomes. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.31818.34242.
Becker, M.*, Yu, Y*. & Cabeza, R. (2023) The Influence of insight on Decision Making and Nucleus Accumbens Activation. Sci Rep 13, 17159 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44293-2
Yu, Y., Salvi, C., Beeman, M. (2023) Solving problems with an Aha! increases risk preference. Thinking & Reasoning. http://doi.org/10.1080/13546783.2023.2259552
Yu, Y., Oh, Y., Kounios, J., & Beeman, M. (2023). Uncovering the Interplay of Oscillatory Processes During Creative Problem Solving: A Dynamic Modeling Approach. Creativity Research Journal, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2023.2172871.
Yu, Y., Beaty, R., Forthmann, B., Crus, J. H., Beeman, M., Johnson, D. (2023) A mad method to assess idea novelty: improving validity using maximum associative distance. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000573
Yu, Y., Oh, Y., Kounios, J., Beeman, M. (2022) Hidden brain states and dynamics extracted from EEG signals when people solve short verbal problems. NeuroImage, Volume 255, 2022, 119202, ISSN 1053-8119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119202.
Network Neuroscience
Yu, Y., Gratton, C., Smith, D. M., (2023) From correlation to communication: Disentangling hidden factors from functional connectivity changes. Network Neuroscience. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/netn_a_00290
Gratton, C., Ladwig, Z., Seitzman, B. A., Dworetsky, A., Yu, Y., Adeyemo, B., Smith, D. Petersen, S. E. (2022) BOLD cofluctuation ‘events’ are predicted from static functional connectivity. NeuroImage, Volume 260, 15 October 2022, 119476, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119476.
Ladwig, Z., Yu, Y., Gratton C. (2022) Combined methods reveal task activation dynamics in human brain networks. PLoS Biol 20(8): e3001749. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001749
Finance
(authors are alphabetically ordered)
Yu, Y., Eurodollar Futures and Options, Chapter in Encyclopedia of Quantitative Finance, April 2010, Wiley.
Cont, R., Mondescu, R. and Yu, Y., Central Clearing of Interest Rate Swaps: A Comparison of Offerings, 2010. SSRN.
Cont, R. and Yu, Y., Intraday market dynamics — Lessons learned from flash crash, Global Derivatives 2016.
Patents
Wilson, D. R. and Yu, Y., Method for Trading and Clearing Variance Swaps, 2013, US Patent 20,130,346,278.
Wilson, D. R., Riddle, M. A. , Wolf, K. and Yu, Y., Flexible-rate, Financial Option and Method of Trading, US Patent 20,120,296,798
Wilson, D. R. and Yu, Y., Non-Biased, Centrally-Cleared Financial Instrument and Method of Clearing and Settling, WO Patent 2,012,026,964
Wilson, D. R. , Riddle, M.A. and Yu, Y., Rate-negotiated, Standardized-coupon Financial Instrument and Method of Trading, US Patent 20,120,296,793
Posters and Presentations
Yu, Y., Oh, Y., Kounios, J., Beeman, M. Think Slow, Think Insight. Poster to be presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Conference 2023; talk at Society for Neuroscience of Creativity 2023.
Yu, Y., Salvi, C., Beeman, M. Reduced certainty preference after solving problems with insight versus analysis. Poster presented at Psychonomic Society Annual Conference 2021 and Society for Neuroeconomics Meeting 2022.
Yu, Y., Oh, Y., Kounios, J., Beeman, M. The multiplex of alpha waves in creative problem-solving. Poster presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Conference 2022; Short talk at Society for Neuroscience of Creativity 2022.
Yu, Y., Oh, Y., Kounios, J., Beeman, M. Hidden brain states and dynamics extracted from EEG signals when people solve short verbal problems. Poster presented at CNS 2021 Virtual Meeting; SfN 2021 annual conference.
Yu, Y., Salvi, C., Beeman, M. Reduced certainty preference after solving problems with insight than solving with analysis. Poster presented at CNS 2020 Virtual Meeting (March 2-5, 2020); Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity 2020 Meeting (October 22-23, 2020); Psychonomic Society Annual Conference 2021.
Yu, Y., Smith, D., Gratton, C. From correlation to communication: decomposing functional connectivity changes. Poster presented at Organization for Human Brain Mapping Annual Conference 2021.
Yu, Y., Smith, D., Gratton, C. (2021) From correlation to communication: decomposing functional connectivity changes Lightning Talking at Workshop of the Advanced Computational Neuroscience Network (ACNN).
*These authors contributed equally.