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USC College > Faculty > Departments > Department of Psychology > Zhong-Lin Lu
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Zhong-Lin Lu

William M. Keck Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience and Professor of Psychology and Biomedical Engineering

Contact Information
Office: SGM 703
Phone: (213)740-2282
E-mail: zhonglin@usc.edu

LINKS
Curriculum Vitae
Faculty Profile on Departmental Website
Personal Website
 

Biographical Sketch
Zhong-Lin Lu received waiver of the college entrance exam and entered the Biology Department (858) of the University of Science and Technology of China in 1985. He was selected to join the 8500 experimental education program shortly after his arrival at USTC, and graduated with a BS in theoretical physics from the Modern Physics Department (854) in 1989. He then went to the US to study physics through the CUSPEA program. After obtaining a PhD in physics from New York University in 1992, he worked as an Assistant Researcher in Cognitive Sciences at UC Irvine before joining the faculty of the University of Southern California in 1996. He is currently the William M. Keck Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience, Professor of Psychology and Biomedical Engineering at USC, and co-Director of the Dana and David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center. At USC, Lu established the Laboratory of Brain ProcessES (http://lobes.usc.edu). The goal of his research program is to construct computational brain models for perception and cognition. Currently, Lu is working on: (1) Computational & psychophysical study of visual and auditory perception, attention, and perceptual learning, (2) Functional brian imaging study of sensory and attentional processes, and human decision making, and (3) Visual deficits in dyslexia, amblyopia & Alzheimer's disease. In 2002, Lu was elected Overseas Evaluation Expert of the Chinese Academy of Science. In 2003, he won the first Young Investigator's Award of the Society of Experimental Psychologists and became the youngest Fellow of the Society.
 

Education
B.S. Theoretical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, 7/1989
M.S. Physics, New York University, 5/1991
Ph.D. Physics, New York University, 2/1992
 

Postdoctoral Training
Assistant Researcher, University of California, Irvine, 09/01/1992-08/31/1996  
Postdoctoral Fellow, New York University, 03/01/1992-08/31/1992  
 

Academic Appointment, Affiliation, and Employment History
William M. Keck Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Southern California, 08/16/2006-  
co-Director, Dana and David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center, University of Southern California, 09/01/2005-  
Professor, Department of Psychology and Program in Neural, Informational and Behavioral Sciences, University of Southern California, 12/21/2004-  
Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, 01/01/2003-  
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Program in Neural, Informational and Behavioral Sc, University of Southern California, 06/01/2000-12/20/2004  
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Program in Neural, Informational and Behavioral Sc, University of Southern California, 09/01/1996-08/31/2000  
Scientific Director, Dana and David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center, University of Southern California, 09/01/2004-08/31/2005  
Overseas’ Evaluation Expert, Chinese Academy of Science, 2002-  
Adjunct Professor of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, 2000-  
Adjunct Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University , 2004-  
Assistant Researcher, Human Information Processing Laboratory, Department of Cognitive Sciences and, University of California, Irvine, 09/01/1992-08/31/1996  
Postdoctoral Fellow, Neuromagnetism Laboratory, Physics and Psychology Departments, and Center for N, New York University, 03/01/1992-08/31/1992  
 

Description of Research

Summary Statement of Research Interests
Professor Lu conducts computational and psychophysical studies on visual motion and texture perception, visual attention, visual memory systems, and visual perceptual learning. He also conducts neurophysiological and brain imaging studies of sensory and attentional processes. Recently, he has performed a number of studies on visual deficits in dyslexia, amblyopia & Alzheimer's disease.
 

Affiliations with Research Centers, Labs, and Other Institutions
Laboratory of Brain ProcessES, Director,http://lobes.usc.edu
Brain and Creativity Institute, Member,http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/bci/
Dana and David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center, co-Director,http://brainimaging.usc.edu
State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing, China, Adjunct Professor
 

Publications

Book
Lu and Eskew (Ed.). (2007). Special Issue on Signal Detection Theory. (Vol. 20, Leidan: Sptial Vision.
Lu, Z., Kaufman, L. (2003). Magnetic Source Imaging of the Human Brain. Manwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc..
 

Book Chapter
Kaufman, L., Lu, Z. (2006). Magnetic source imaging of the human brain. pp. p. 109-128. Magnetic source imaging of the human brain/Peking University Press.
Lu, Z., Dosher, B. A. (2006). Brain mechanisms of attention. pp. p. 281-288. Brain mechanisms of attention/Peking University Press.
Lu, Z. (2006). Magnetic source imaging of the human brain. (Vol. Chapter 7). pp. page 109-128.. Peking University Press.
 

Encyclopedia Article
Lu, Z., Dosher, B. A. (2007). Cognitive Psychology. 17852-17860. Scholarpedia.
 

Journal Article
Huang, C., Tao, L., Zhou, Y., Lu, Z. (2007). Treated amblyopes remain deficient in spatial vision: A contrast sensitivity and external noise study. Vision Research/Elsevier Science. Vol. 47, pp. 22-34.
Dosher, B. A., Lu, Z. (2007). The Functional Form of Performance Improvements in Perceptual Learning: Learning Rates and Transfer. Psychological Science/American Psychoologicl Society. Vol. 18, pp. 531-539.
Ronquillo, J., Denson, T. F., Lickel, B., Lu, Z., Nandy, A., Isen, J., Schug, R., Maddox, K. B. (2007). The Effects of Skin Tone on Race-related Amygdala Activity: An fMRI Investigation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. Vol. 2, pp. 39-44.
Lu, Z., Eskew, R. (2007). Editorial, Spatial Vision Special Issue on Signal Detection Theory. Spatial Vision/Brill. Vol. 20 (1-2), pp. 1-4.
Appelbarm, G., Lu, Z., Sperling, G. (2007). Contrast amplification in global texture orientation discrimination. Journal of Vision. Vol. 7 (10), pp. 1-19.
Qiu, Z., Xu, P., Zhou, Y., Lu, Z. (2007). Spatial vision deficit underlies poor sine-wave motion direction discrimination in anisometropic amblyopia. Journal of Vision. Vol. 7 (11), pp. 1-15.
Tseng, C., Gobell, J. L., Lu, Z., Sperling, G. (2006). When motion appears stopped: phenomenon and theory of stereo motion standstill. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. pp. p. 14953-14958.
Dosher, B. A., Lu, Z. (2006). Level and mechanisms of perceptual learning: Learning in luminance and texture objects. Vision Research/Elsevier Science. pp. p. 1996-2007.
Lu, Z., Chu, W., Dosher, B. A., Lee, S. (2006). Perceptual learning of motion direction discrimination in fovea: Separable mechanisms. Vision Research/Elsevier Science. pp. p. 2315-2327.
Lesmes, L. A., Jeon, S., Lu, Z., Dosher, B. A. (2006). Bayesian adaptive estimation of threshold vs. contrast external noise functions. Vision Research/Elsevier Science. pp. p. 3160-3176.
Petrov, A., Dosher, B. A., Lu, Z. (2006). Comparable perceptual learning with and without feedback in non-stationary contexts: Data and model. Vision Research/Elsevier Science. pp. p. 3177-3197.
Zhou, Y., Huang, C., Xu, P., Tao, L., Qiu, Z., Li, X., Lu, Z. (2006). Perceptual learning improves contrast sensitivity and visual acuity in adults with amplyopia. Vision Research/Elsevier Science. pp. p. 739-750.
Sperling, A. J., Lu, Z., Manis, F. R., Seidenberg, M. S. (2006). Motion perception deficits and reading impairment: it’s the noise, not the motion. Psychological Science/American Psychoologicl Society. pp. p. NA.
Dao, D. Y., Lu, Z., Dosher, B. A. (2006). Adaptation to sine-wave gratings selectively reduces the sensory gain of the adapted stimuli. Journal of Vision. pp. p. 739-759.
Sperling, A. J., Lu, Z., Manis, F. R., Seidenberg, M. S. (2006). Deficits in achromatic phantom contour perception in poor readers. Neuropsychologia, 44. Vol. 1900-1908
Xu, P., Lu, Z., Qiu, Z., Zhou, Y. (2006). Identify mechanisms of amblyopia in Gabor orientation identification with external noise. Vision Research/Elsevier Science. pp. p. 3748-3760.
Lu, Z., Neuse, J. L., Madigan, S. A., Dosher, B. A. (2005). Decay of iconic memory in observers with mild cognitive impairment. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. pp. p. 1797-1802.
Dosher, B. A., Lu, Z. (2005). Perceptual learning in clear not noisy displays optimizes performance: Asymmetry of transfer. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. pp. p. 5286-5290.
Lu, Z., Chu, W., Dosher, B. A., Lee, S. (2005). Independent Perceptual Learning in Monocular and Binocular Motion Systems. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. pp. p. 5624-5629.
Sperling, A. J., Lu, Z., Manis, F. R., Seidenberg, M. S. (2005). Deficits in perceptual noise exclusion in developmental dyslexia. Nature Neuroscience/Nature Publishing Group. pp. p. 862-863.
Petrov, A., Dosher, B. A., Lu, Z. (2005). Perceptual learning through incremental channel reweighting. Psychological Review/American Psychological Association. pp. p. 715-743.
Lu, Z., Chu, W., Dosher, B. A., Lee, S. (2005). Perceptual Learning of Gabor Orientation Identification in Visual Periphery: Complete Inter-ocular Transfer of Learning Mechanisms. Vision Research/Elsevier Science. pp. p. 2500-2510.
Lu, Z., Sperling, G. (2001). Three-systems theory of human visual motion perception: review and update. Journal of the Optical Society of America, A. Vol. 18, pp. 2331-2370.
Lu, Z., Dosher, B. A. (1998). External noise distinguishes mechanisms of attention. Vision Research. Vol. 38, pp. 1183-1198.
Dosher, B. A., Lu, Z. (1998). Perceptual learning reflects external noise filtering and internal noise reduction through channel reweighting. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. Vol. 95, pp. 13988-13993..
 

Honors and Awards
Endowed Chair, William M. Keck Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience, 8/16/2006-  
Society of Experimental Psychologists, Early Achievement Award, 2003  
 

Service to the Profession

Editorships and Editorial Boards
Associate Editor, Spatial Vision, 05/2004-  
 
 
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