吉妮

人类和动物均具有主动探寻新信息（探索行为），并从经验中快速提炼出结构化知识（主动学习）的卓越能力。高效的探索、学习能力使得人和动物可以在复杂环境中灵活决策、优化利用资源，并快速适应动态多变且充满不确定性的场景。相比之下，尽管人工智能技术发展迅猛，当前的智能体仍高度依赖大量人工采集或标注的数据，难以自主地从经验中完成学习。通过引入类脑的探索与主动学习机制，人工智能体有望实现更高的数据利用效率，并在陌生环境中更快地完成泛化与自适应。

因此，本团队致力于研究大脑如何在具身感知或抽象认知环境中，在不确定或动态变化场景下，通过探索和主动学习获取结构化的知识。我们重点致力于揭示调控内在动机或好奇心驱动行为的行为学与神经机制，并探索如何将这些机制背后的计算原理应用于人工智能系统，促进其实现自主、高效的学习。我们同时结合实验研究、计算建模与理论分析，旨在揭示大脑实现自适应、高效率的探索与学习的神经行为机制，进而开发能在现实场景中复现这些能力的人工智能算法。

2020    美国女性科学家访学基金

2020    计算和系统神经学年会(COSYNE)旅行奖金

2017-2019    Charles A. King基金会博士后奖金

2016-2017    JFDP基金会博士后奖金

2015    海洋生物实验室计算图像处理课程奖金

2007-2011    Singleton博士奖学金

2010    冲绳科学技术学院访学奖金

2007-2009    Berea文理学院研究生奖金

2003-2007    Berea文理学院全额奖学金

Preprints:

1. Li, S., Li, Z., Liu, T., Zhang, S., Jia, Y., Yi, Z., Xie, J., Ji, N.# Multi-feature Riemannian hypergraph for online test-time adaptation of motor imagery brain-computer interface. 2026. arXiv preprint, arXiv:2608.16134.

2. An, J.*, Hu, J.*, Wu, Y. E.*, Liu, C., Ning, S., Zhu, F., Pan, Y., Wang, R., Ji, N.# Task-space dimensions guide human exploration in complex environments. 2026. bioRxiv preprint, 2026.04.29.720265.

Publications:

3. Jia, Z.*, Pan, Y.*, Ji, N.# Neural Structural Reasoner: A brain-inspired architecture for reasoning over structured knowledge. 2026. In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS 2026).  PDF

4. Zhu, F., An, J., Ji, N.# Human-inspired, Task-Dimension-Guided Exploration for Efficient Learning in High Dimensions. 2026. In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS 2026). PDF

5. Jiang, C., An, J., Liu, Y., Ji, N.# Brain Bandit: A biologically grounded neural network for efficient control of exploration. 2025. In International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2025, Oral presentation, top 1%).

Before 2022:

6. Ji, N., Madan, G.K., Fabre, G.I., Dayan, A., Baker, C.M., Kramer, T.S., Nwabudike, I, Flavell, S.W.# A neural circuit for flexible control of persistent behavior states. eLife; 2021, 10:e62889.

7. Ji, N., Venkatachalam, V., Rodgers, H. D., Lim, M., Kawano, T., Clark, C. M., Alkema, M. J.#, Zhen, M.#, Samuel, A. D. T.# Corollary discharge promotes a sustained motor state in a neural circuit for navigation. eLife, 2021, 10, e68848.

8. Ji, N., Flavell, S. W.# Hydra: Imaging nerve nets in action. Current Biology, 27(8), 2017, R294–R295.

9. Venkatachalam, V.*, Ji, N.*, Wang, X., Mitchell, J., Klein, M., Tabone, C., Clark, C. M., Greenwood, J. S. F., Chisholm, A., Srinivasan, J., Alkema, M. J., Zhen, M., Samuel, A. D. T.# Pan-neuronal imaging in roaming animals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016, 113(8), E1082–E1088.

10. Ji, N.*, Middelkoop, T. C.*, Mentink, R. A., Betist, M. C., Tonegawa, S., Mooijman, D., Korswagen, H. C.#, van Oudenaarden, A.# Feedback control of gene expression variability in the Caenorhabditis elegans Wnt pathway. Cell, 2013 155(4), 869–880.

11. Tan, R. Z., Ji, N., Mentink, R., Korswagen, H. C., van Oudenaarden, A.# Deconvolving the roles of Wnt ligands and receptors in sensing and amplification. Molecular Systems Biology, 2013, 9, 631.

12. Ji, N., van Oudenaarden, A.# Single-molecule fluorescent in situ hybridization (smFISH) of C. elegans worms and embryos. WormBook. The C. elegans Research Community, 2012, doi:10.1895/wormbook.1.153.1.

13. Scott, B. B., Gardner, T., Ji, N., Fee, M. S., Lois, C.# Wandering neuronal migration in the postnatal vertebrate forebrain. Journal of Neuroscience, 2012, 32, 1436–1446.

* Equal contribution; # Corresponding author