Dr. Zhou completed her PhD in Psychology with a concentration in Integrative Neuroscience under the guidance of Dr. Jai Yu at the University of Chicago. Using simultaneous single-unit and local field potential recordings in freely behaving rodents, she examined how neural representations in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, as well as coordination between these regions, change with experience and relate to learning.

At the Farrell Lab, she is extending her research on the neural mechanisms of learning and memory to investigate circuit organization and network dynamics in both healthy and pathological states. She is particularly interested in studying these processes across animal models and human neural circuits. Her approaches will include high-density electrophysiology, two-photon imaging, molecular and transcriptomic methods, and optogenetics.

Outside the lab, she enjoys watching movies, karaoke, and spending time with her cats, Coco and Ozzie.