Center for Healthy Minds

Xiaoxu is a PhD student in the Educational Psychology - Human Development program. She is a member of the Brain & Early Experiences Lab directed by Dr. Sarah Short, interested in studying how early environmental factors, including poverty and prenatal maternal stress influence child brain development. Xiaoxu earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology at Central China Normal University and a master's degree in clinical rehabilitation counseling at UW-Madison. During her internship working with children struggling with neurodevelopmental disorders, she started to be curious about how environmental factors play a role in child's brain development, which may be implicative for educational and clinical practices. Being a graduate trainee at CHM, Xiaoxu hopes to build up knowledge in neuroimaging, and connect with exceptional colleagues there to get insights on relevant research.