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My name is Zheyang (Sam) Zheng. I'm a PhD student in computational neuroscience at New York University. I obtained my Bachelor in Mathematics (minor: Philosophy) at the University of Chicago in 2018. I work closely with experimentalists to develop statistical tools to help understand the brain, with a special interest in the hippocampus.
Outside of research, I enjoy learning math, jazz piano and arranging, muay thai, weightlifting, anime and reflecting on the interconnections between math, neuroscience, philosophy and life.
I was deeply drawn to the philosophy of Zhuang Zi and Tiantai Buddhism (as introduced by my professor Brook Ziporyn).
I am an avid practitioner of meditation. I was lucky to have attended the Vipassana meditation retreat, which not only gave me the tool to deal with mental inertia and appreciate the present, but also lit up the path from philosophy to neuroscience for me.
With the foundation from meditation, I love observing changes in my body under different circumstances, e.g. common sports vs health-oriented "old people" exercise like Zhan Zhuang (tree post standing), Tai Chi; western medicine vs traditional Chinese medicine, moxibution, acupuncture, etc. I would love to study the neuroscience of these traditional practices at some point.