Dissertation Committee: Matthijs van der Meer, Jeremy Manning, John Murray, Denise Cai
Thesis: Robust and generalizable representations in the hippocampus
2015National Tsing Hua University
B.A., Economics
Research Experience
2018 - 2024Dartmouth College
Graduate Research Assistant
Investigated the role of replay in maintaining task representation and robust performance under distribution shift in biological and artificial networks.
Developed statistical and machine learning methods to study how hippocampal neural representations supports generalization, including the cross-subject similarity in encoding related experiences and the representational geometry underlying retrospective memory-linking.
summer 2022Center for Computational Neuroscience, Simons Foundation
Optimized methods for aligning neural data and investigated necessary conditions to derive identifiable Procrustes transformations across neural representations.
Designed a sequential decision-making task and developed computational modeling of (hierarchical) reinforcement learning to study how sequences of goal-directed actions are coordinated in animals.
Publications
Chen, H. T., Zaki Y., Cai D. J. & van der Meer, M. A. A. (in prep). Update in the hippocampal representation reveals neural signature of retrospective memory-linking.
Zaki Y, Pennington ZT, Morales-Rodriguez D, Bacon, ME, Ko, B, Francisco TR, LaBanca AR, Sompolpong P, Dong Z, Lamsifer S, Chen, HT, Carrillo Segura S, Christenson Wick Z, Silva AJ, Rajan K, van der Meer M, Fenton A, Shuman T & Cai DJ. (2024). Offline ensemble co-reactivation links memories across days. Nature, 1-11
Buzsáki Lab. New York University. PI: György Buzsáki. (2022)
Hsu Lab. Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taiwan. PI: Ching-Lung Hsu (2022)
Conference Proceedings and Presentations
Chen HT & van der Meer MA (2024) Paradoxical replay can protect contextual task representations from destructive interference when experience is unbalanced. Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL.
Janssen MA, Chen HT, van der Meer MA (2024). The Relationship Between Hippocampal Sharp Wave-Ripples and Ventral Striatal Dopamine. Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL.
Chen HT, Zaki Y, Cai DJ, van der Meer MA (2023). Update in the hippocampal representation reveals neural signature of retrospective memory-linking. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C.
Zaki Y, Pennington ZT, Morales-Rodriguez D, Francisco TR, LaBanca AR, Dong Z, Lamsifer S, Carrillo Segura S, Chen HT, Christenson Wick Z, Silva AJ, van der Meer M, Shuman T, Fenton A, Rajan K, Cai DJ. (2023). Aversive experience drives offline ensemble reactivation to link memories across days. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C.
Chen HT, Manning JR, Williams AH, van der Meer MA (2022). Necessary conditions for cross-subject alignment and prediction. Simons Foundation Internship Presentation, New York, NY.
Chen HT, Manning JR, van der Meer MA (2019). Shared representational geometry as an explanation for cross-subject prediction of place cell data from the rodent hippocampus. Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL.
Li L, Chen Y, Chen, HT, Li J, Ma C, Erlich JC (2019). Spatial-temporal tuning properties of the rodent frontal orienting field neurons. Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL.
Chen, HT, Manning JR, van der Meer MA (2019). Between-subject prediction reveals a shared representational geometry in the rodent hippocampus. Computational and Systems Neuroscience (CoSyNe), Lisbon, Portugal. Rated in top 6% of abstracts over 1000 submissions
Honors and Awards
2023 Dartmouth Guarini School Travel Award 2021 Neukom Prize for Outstanding Graduate Research in Computational Science 2019, 2023 Dartmouth GSC Student Professional Development Support Fund 2019, 2023 Dartmouth PBS Graduate Travel Award 2016 Improving Cities with the Uber API hackathon (First Place) 2011 NTHU Academic Achievement Award