Principal Investigator
Qianli Yang is a tenure-track Assistant Professor and Zijiang Young Scholar at the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, where he leads the Language of Thought Lab. His research lies at the intersection of computational neuroscience, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and physics. He studies how the brain constructs internal world models and uses them for Bayesian inference and structured problem solving, with the broader goal of identifying the computational principles underlying structured intelligence.
He received his B.S. in Physics from Nanjing University, and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rice University. During his doctoral training with Xaq Pitkow at Baylor College of Medicine, he worked on computational and theoretical approaches to neural coding. He later trained with Tianming Yang at the Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he developed behavioral modeling and experimental paradigms for studying complex, structured problem-solving behavior in macaque monkeys.
In daily life, he enjoys football (Inter Milan), strategy games (such as Civilization), and literature (including Dostoevsky, Yourcenar, and Wang Xiaobo).
📬 Contact：- Email: qlyang AT psy.ecnu.edu.cn
- Address: Room 309, Old Library, Putuo Campus, East China Normal University
🔗 Links：
Postdoctoral Researcher
The lab welcomes postdoc applications. Reach out to Qianli with your research interest and CV.
Student
The lab is recruiting Master, PhD students and also research assistant.
Interested applicants, please email Qianli with your research interest and a CV.
Research interests: Computational modeling, cognitive maps, brain dynamics.
Enjoys focused entertainment activities (such as movies, reading, single-player games) and cognitive exercises that offer moments of insight (such as puzzles and mathematical derivations).
Email: Hippocampus.YH AT outlook.com
Research interests: Decision-making, cognitive representation, brain dynamics.
Enjoys digital technology, ball sports, and video games. Aspires to create interesting and memorable work.
Email: 2493934350 AT qq.com
Research interests: Computational modeling, perception, attention and behavioral decision-making. Looking forward to exploring the interaction between the brain and motion perception through data modeling.
Enjoys singing and playing Civilization in leisure time. Recharges at night with anime and reading, and appreciates Hirokazu Kore-eda, Hermann Hesse, and Virginia Woolf.
Email: ys7323 AT nyu.edu
Research interests: Algorithms, modeling.
Enjoys anime, games, and reading. Recreational activities include pickleball and badminton.
Email: yangtian15900852604 AT gmail.com
Research interests: Problem-solving, brain networks, computational modeling.
Enjoys anime, frisbee, and reading. Unlimited creativity.
Email: tonyjianing AT 126.com
Collaborator
Tianming Yang, ION
Hang Zhang, Peking University
Xaq Pitkow, Carnegie Mellon University
Xiong Xiao, ION
Le Chang, ION
Feng Miao, Nanjing University