Portraits of Impact

Although Taiwan is where Ya-Yu Hu, a neuroscience PhD candidate, was born and raised, she has called Richardson, Texas, home for four years. Originally attracted to the U.S. because of her dedication to neuroscience research, Ya-Yu has stayed for the community she has built and the professors with whom she has worked.

“I chose UTD because I am fascinated by the groundbreaking neuroscience research conducted here,” Ya-Yu said. “I aimed to find a professor who is specifically focused on how brain circuits influence behaviors. That’s when I found Dr. Christa McIntyre.”

McIntyre, an associate professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS), works to better understand the biological mechanisms involved with memory. She serves as the principal investigator of the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory Lab, where Ya-Yu works in collaboration with Dr. Gregory Dussor, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor in neuroscience, department chair of neuroscience and founding member of Center for Advanced Pain Studies.

“I never really thought about studying migraine before working with Dr. Dussor, but I soon discovered how fascinating it is,” Ya-Yu said. “Our collaboration has combined the two research interests of both of my mentors to study how stress induces migraine.”

The mentorship provided by both renowned professors has allowed Ya-Yu to discover more about herself and what she has to offer to the migraine field.

“Every time I met with Dr. Dussor, we would talk for a long time about our various migraine-related topics,” Ya-Yu said. “These talks helped me learn and grow as a migraine researcher and become more independent and more confident in my abilities. He is always encouraging me to enter competitions and contests.”

While at UTD, Ya-Yu has earned dozens of travel grants, awards and scholarships to assist with her financial needs. For her work in cognition, she was awarded both the Matthew S. Perry and the Matthew K. Weddle Fellowships in Cognition and Neuroscience. The aid she receives helps support conference travel, workshops and other research needs.

“I feel like scholarships are so important, especially for international students, because we don’t have that many opportunities where we can apply,” Ya-Yu said. “If we can’t go – not because of our lack of skills – but the funding, it is damaging to the progress of scientific development and the work we do. Thanks to donor support, I can have these opportunities.”

Outside her laboratory, Ya-Yu is also giving back to fellow UTD students through the UT Dallas Community Garden program.

“When I got here, I joined the volunteer community garden program on campus,” she said. “We get to go in and grow plants that we want, usually edible ones. Once those plants are harvestable, we donate them into the Comet Cupboard.”

Learn more about supporting international students like Ya-Yu through the UTD International Center.

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