Principle Investigator
Hi! I’m Jin Wang, a tenure-track Assistant Professor at UCLA. I direct the Brain, Language, Education, and Neurodiversity (BLEND) lab. I received my Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Vanderbilt University in May 2022. After completing two years of postdoctoral training at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, I joined the UCLA Department of Education in July 2024.
Using neuroimaging approaches—especially task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)—I’m interested in understanding how the brain supports children's language development from infancy to elementary school, and how various language processes contribute to subsequent academic skills like reading and math. I hope to blend my expertise in neuroscience, experiences in psychology, and position in education to promote academic outcomes for neurodiverse children, particularly in the area related to language skills.
I am from China and speak two languages, Chinese and English. In my free time, I love baking cakes, gardening, painting, and walking dogs.
Ph.D. students
Hello! I’m Virginia Chambers, a first-year PhD student in the BLEND Lab. Before arriving at UCLA, I received a BS in Psychology from Emory University in 2023, working under Dr. Danny Dilks to study developmental scene perception with fMRI. I then completed a postbac at Yale with Drs. Richard Aslin and Kenneth Pugh investigating neural mechanisms of early language learning and reading using a variety of imaging techniques (fMRI, fNIRS, EEG). I am broadly interested in how young children's brains support learning (in language, reading, and other domains!).
Outside of the lab, I can be found crafting, birding around LA, or hanging out with my spunky orange cat, Kit.
Hello! I’m Hongjuan Hu, a first-year PhD student in the BLEND Lab. I received my BS in biotechnology in Tongji University. I worked with Dr. Cirong Liu at the Institute of Neuroscience to study how social isolation affects brain networks in mice using fMRI. I then completed my MSc in Biomedical Engineering at Yale University, where I deepened my interest in neuroimaging and developmental neuroscience. I am interested in the neural mechanisms underlying learning and language development in children using fMRI, DTI and etc.
I come from China, and can speak Chinese and English. In my spare time, I love Kpop music and dancing. I also enjoy hiking and exploring LA's best boba shops😊
The 8th floor of Math Sciences Building, Rooms 8964 & 8361
520 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095