Assistant Professor @UCIrvine @AnatomyNeurobio Studying Neurobiology of Metabolism and Aging; @PKU1898 @JohnsHopkins @RockefellerUniv alumnus
Irvine, CA
Joined March 2020
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Thrilled to share that I’ll be joining @UCIrvine @AnatomyNeurobio as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in early 2026! My lab will study the neurobiology of metabolism and aging. Deeply grateful to my mentors, collaborators, and friends. Excited for the next chapter!
Han Tan retweeted
PVT is exploding! Using genetc tagging and #crispr shows Peptide signaling in the paraventricular thalamus is essential for disrupted adult reward behaviors consequent to early-life adversity: Cell Reports cell.com/cell-reports/fullte… the amazing Amalia led.
Han Tan retweeted
Today our lab is excited to share a new study in Cell: “Non-invasive control of gene editing in vivo by photoswitchable Cas12f and focused ultrasound.”
We engineered a compact CRISPR system that can be activated at specific locations in the body using focused ultrasound (🧵)
Han Tan retweeted
We’re recruiting postdocs & graduate students at UT Southwestern!
Neural control of metabolism | 3 NIH-funded projects | Mentoring toward independence | Alumni in faculty roles
Build on our projects or bring your own ideas!
Visit: chenliulab.us/
Han Tan retweeted
Happy to share our new study comparing aggression level across 7 strains of mice, led by a talented undergraduate student, Xiuzhi Dai. Strain differences in aggression can be explained a lot by differences in the physiological properties of VMHvl cells.
nature.com/articles/s41467-0…
Han Tan retweeted
A long-standing question in neuroscience is why the eCB system uses two ligands for the same receptors and how their release differs. To address it, we’re happy to share a pair of selective GRAB sensors that detect 2-AG and AEA, respectively, in real time.
biorxiv.org/content/10.64898…
Han Tan retweeted
Researchers testing ways to capture #stress and #trauma in #childhood found that adding the QUIC-5 screen for unpredictability will identify children at risk who will otherwise be missed.
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Read the full study: ow.ly/ztBY50ZxFvv
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@UCIrvine
Han Tan retweeted
Come join the Liu Lab at @YaleCellBio!
We’re hiring postdoctoral associates, PhD students, postgraduate associates (research assistants), summer students, and undergraduate researchers.
Find details and opportunities here:
shanshanliulab.com
Han Tan retweeted
Our new study: A Hormone-Sensitive Brain Node Prioritizes Movement over Excretion, led by Lucas Cabrera-Zapata, with help from @moolakaari and others.
biorxiv.org/content/10.64898…
ALT Photo from A. Venkataraman at SF Marathon
Han Tan retweeted
Excited to share our latest paper in Neuron!
Our study reveals a top-down cortical circuit in which the medial prefrontal cortex regulates compulsive eating through the rostral zona incerta.
authors.elsevier.com/a/1nWvk…
cell.com/neuron/abstract/S08…
Han Tan retweeted
Study in 30,000 kids shows unpredictable early-life experiences qre an important Adverse Childhood Experience. nature.com/articles/s44220-0… Dropped now! with an amazing team. in Nature MH. And unpredictability is actionable! take a peek. supported by @NIMHirector & @CaliforniaGov
Han Tan retweeted
A new @UCIrvine-led study found that growing up in an unpredictable environment—where daily routines lack consistency and children are unsure what comes next—is strongly linked to depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and other mental health challenges. bit.ly/4fy50I9
Han Tan retweeted
How does the brain infer emotional meaning from experience, bodily signals, and context?
In a new Science Perspective, we discuss how “internal emotion models” may bridge animal and human studies and inform new approaches to treating anxiety and trauma
science.org/eprint/NGF5TVSTB…
Han Tan retweeted
Our new preprint is out!
Learning Shapes the Energy Cost of Neural Tasks biorxiv.org/content/10.64898…
The human brain runs on ~20 watts. Computers and modern AI systems require vastly higher energy. How does the brain compute so efficiently? In our new study, we take a critical step toward directly measuring and understanding this.
Using in vivo glucose sensors in behaving mice, we asked: what is the neuronal fuel cost of performing a learned task? Key finding: After learning, the same task required less fuel, suggesting learning may not only improve performance—it may lower the energy cost of computation.
We propose an “energy minimization” view of learning. Neural circuits may optimize not only activity patterns or behavior but also energy cost. Understanding this could be critical for explaining the remarkable efficiency of biological intelligence.
Han Tan retweeted
Here's the open access paper link . Welcome feedback/thoughts/ideas! I also think this pathway may be involved in virus-induced dementia..so much to follow up on! /End cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092…
Han Tan retweeted
Congratulations Dr. Oswald Steward @os_steward in our own UC Irvine Anatomy & Neurobiology Department
on the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience!!
@AnatomyNeurobio @UCIMedSchool @UCIrvine
How can our brains be so efficient? The 2026 #KavliPrize #Neuroscience Laureates broke longstanding beliefs & revealed that proteins form locally at synapses, right where neurons transmit signals, not in the cell body like previously thought. Learn more at kavliprize.org
Han Tan retweeted
Celebrating Dr. Os Steward's Kavli Prize!
Dean Stamos and Assoc Dean Abbott joined the toast with our Chair Chris Gall.
@AnatomyNeurobio @UCIMedSchool @UCIrvine
Han Tan retweeted
Excited to share our recent PNAS paper (led by @Dani_B1256): pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.25…, where we discovered the mechanisms governing myelin integrity during the onset of myelination. We are grateful to collaborate with Ellisman lab (UCSD), @WertLaboratory, and UTSW EM Core (1/6).
Han Tan retweeted
We are looking for a Research Technician! see job posting here: hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/e…
Han Tan retweeted
New lab paper @NeuroCellPress!
@_Aaron_McKnight asked a simple question:
Do calories look the same to hunger neurons in the brain? The answer is no.
Fructose and glucose contain the same calories, but they engage fundamentally different gut-brain pathways.
doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.202…