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Yan Gai, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Courses Taught

Brain Computer Interface

Education

Ph.D. in Bioengineering, Syracuse University
M.S. in Bioengineering, Syracuse University
M.E. in Electrical Engineering, South China University of Technology
B.S. in Electrical Engineering, South China University of Technology

Research Interests

Gai and her neuroengineering lab have been dedicated to the cutting-edge technology of improving life quality of paralyzed or hearing-impaired patients. Her recent projects include brain-controlled wheelchairs, next-generation smart hearing aids, and infrared cochlear implants.

Labs and Facilities

Neuroengineering Laboratory The Neuroengineering Lab’s research combines behavioral, electrophysiological, and computational approaches to study functions and mechanisms of the mammalian auditory pathways in speech perception and sound localization. The lab’s first project involves simulating cochlear-implant hearing with a noise-vocoding technique. Learn more: http://gailab.net/.

Publications and Media Placements

Printed Archival Peer-Reviewed Journals
Gai Y, Ruhland J, Yin TC (2014b). Localization of Click Trains and Speech By Cats: The Negative Level Effect. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. In press.

Gai Y, Kotak VC, Sanes DH, Rinzel J (2014a). On the Localization of Complex Sounds: Temporal Encoding Based on Input-Slope Coincidence Detection of Envelopes. J Neurophysiol. 112: 802-813. doi: 10.1152/jn.00044.2013.

Gai Y, Ruhland J, Yin TC (2013b). Effects of Forward Masking on Sound Localization in Cats: Basic Findings with Broadband Maskers. J Neurophysiol. 110:1600-1610. doi: 10.1152/jn.00255.2013.

Gai Y, Ruhland J, Yin TC, Tollin D (2013a). Behavioral and Modeling Studies of Sound Localization in Cats: Effects of Stimulus Level and Duration. J Neurophysiol. 110: 607-620. doi: 10.1152/jn.01019.2012.

Gai Y, Doiron B, Rinzel J (2010). Slope-Based Stochastic Resonance: How Noise Enables Phasic Neurons to Encode Slow Signals. PLoS Comput Biol 6:e1000825. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000825.

Gai Y, Doiron B, Kotak V, Rinzel J (2009). Noise-Gated Encoding of Slow Inputs by Auditory Brainstem Neurons with a Low-Threshold K+ Current. J Neurophysiol 102:3447-3460. doi: 10.1152/jn.00538.2009.

Honors and Awards

Gai's project on brain-controlled wheelchairs received the President Research Fund in early 2017.

Community Work and Service

Yan Gai became an assistant professor in Biomedical Engineering at Parks College in Fall 2014. Prior to joining SLU, she was a postdoc and neuroscientist at New York University and University of Wisconsin-Madison.