Curriculum Vitae
Na Ji
Contact Information
Janelia Research Campus
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
19700 Helix Drive
Ashburn, VA 20147
Phone: (571) 409 4285
Email: jin@janelia.hhmi.org
Education
2007
Neurobiology Course, Marine Biology Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA
2005
Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley), Berkeley,
CA, USA
2000
B.S. in Chemistry, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), P. R. China
Research Experience
2011–Now
Group Leader, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
2006–2011
Postdoctoral Researcher, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Advisor: Dr. Eric Betzig
2001–2006
Graduate Student Researcher (2001-2005) and Postdoctoral Researcher (2006.012006.10), Department of Physics, UC Berkeley
Advisor: Professor Yuen-Ron Shen
Teaching Experience
Spring 2003
Graduate Student Instructor for Prof. Robert A. Harris (UC Berkeley)
Chem221B: Advanced Quantum Mechanics (Graduate level)
Spring 2002
Graduate Student Instructor for Prof. Robert A. Harris (UC Berkeley)
Chem120B: Physical Chemistry (Undergraduate level)
Spring 2001
Graduate Student Instructor for Prof. Gabor A. Somorjai (UC Berkeley)
Chem1B: Introduction to Chemistry (Undergraduate level)
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Janelia Publications as Group Leader
• Z. Tan, W. Sun, T.-W. Chen, D. S. Kim, N. Ji, “Neuronal representation of ultraviolet visual
stimuli in mouse primary visual cortex”, under review.
• W. Sun, Z. Tan, B. D. Mensh, N. Ji, “Thalamus provides layer 4 of primary visual cortex with
orientation-tuned inputs”, under review.
• K. Wang, W. Sun, C. T. Richie, B. K. Harvey, E. Betzig, N. Ji, “Direct wavefront sensing for
high-resolution in vivo imaging in scattering tissue”, Nature Communications, accepted.
• N. Ji, “The practical and fundamental limits of optical imaging in mammalian brains”, Neuron,
2014, 83, 1242-1245.
• C. Wang, D. E. Milkie, W. Sun, Z. Tan, T.-W. Chen, D. S. Kim, N. Ji, “Multiplexed aberration
measurement for deep tissue imaging in vivo”, Nature Methods, 2014, 11, 1037-1040.
• R. Liu, D. E. Milkie, A. Kerlin, B. Maclennan, N. Ji, “Direct phase measurement method in
zonal wavefront reconstruction using multidither coherent optical adaptive technique”, Optics
Express, 2014, 22, 1619-1628.
• C. Wang, N. Ji, “Characterization and improvement of three-dimensional imaging performance
of GRIN-lens-based two-photon fluorescence endomicroscopes with adaptive optics”, Optics Express, 2013, 21, 27142-27154.
• C. Wang, N. Ji, “Pupil-segmentation-based adaptive optical correction of a high-NA GRIN lens
for two-photon fluorescence endoscopy”, Optics Letters, 2012, 37, 2001-2003
• D. E. Milkie, E. Betzig, N. Ji, “Pupil-segmentation-based adaptive optical microscopy with fullpupil illumination”, Optics Letters, 2011, 36, 4206-4208
Janelia Publications as Postdoc
• N. Ji, T. R. Sato, E. Betzig, “Characterization and adaptive optical correction of aberrations
during in vivo imaging in the mouse cortex”, Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, 2012,
109, 22-27
• N. Ji, D. E. Milkie, E. Betzig, “Adaptive optics for high resolution imaging in biological tissues”,
Nature Methods, 2010, 7, 141-147
• N. Ji, H. Shroff, H. N. Zhong, E. Betzig, “Advances in the speed and resolution of light microscopy
”, Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 2009, 18, 605-616
• N. Ji, J. C. Magee, E. Betzig, “High-speed, low-photodamage nonlinear imaging using passive
pulse splitters ”, Nature Methods, 2008, 5, 197-202
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Pre-Janelia Publications
• C. Tian, N. Ji, G. A. Waychunas, Y. R. Shen, “Interfacial Structures of Acidic and Basic Aqueous
Solutions”, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2008, 130, 13033-13039
• N. Ji, V. Ostroverkhov, C. S. Tian, Y. R. Shen, “Characterization of vibrational resonances of
water-vapor interfaces by phase-sensitive sum-frequency spectroscopy”, Physical Review Letters
2008, 096102
• N. Ji, V. Ostroverkhov, C.-Y. Chen, Y. R. Shen, “Phase-sensitive sum-frequency vibrational
spectroscopy and its application to studies of interfacial alkyl chains”, Journal of the American
Chemical Society 2007, 129, 10056-10057
• N. Ji, R. A. Harris, “Atomic and molecular parity nonconservation and sum frequency generation
solutions to the Ozma problem”, Journal of Physical Chemistry A 2006, 110, 18744-18747
• N. Ji, V. Ostroverkhov, M. A. Belkin, Y.-J. Shiu, Y. R. Shen, “Towards chiral sum frequency
spectroscopy”, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2006, 128, 8845-8848
• N. Ji, K. Zhang, H. Yang, Y. R. Shen, “Three-dimensional chiral imaging by sum frequency
generation”, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2006, 128, 3482-3483
• N. Ji, Y. R. Shen, “A novel spectroscopic probe for molecular chirality”, invited review article,
Chirality 2006, 18, 146-158
• N. Ji, Y. R. Shen, “A dynamic coupling model for sum frequency chiral response from liquids
composed of molecules with a chiral side chain and an achiral chromophore”, Journal of the
American Chemical Society 2005, 127, 12933-12942
• N. Ji, Y. R. Shen, “Optically active sum frequency generation from molecules with a chiral
center - amino acids as model systems”, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2004, 126,
15008-15009
• N. Ji, Y. R. Shen, “Sum frequency vibrational spectroscopy of leucine molecules adsorbed at
air-water interface”, Journal of Chemical Physics 2004, 120, 7107-7112
• N. Ji, V. Ostroverkhov, F. Lagugne-Labarthet, Y. R. Shen, “Surface vibrational spectroscopy on
shear-aligned poly(tetrafluoroethylene) films”, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2003,
125, 14218-14219
• C. Zhang, S. C. Hong, N. Ji, Y. P. Wang, K. H. Wei, Y. R. Shen, “Sum-frequency vibrational
spectroscopic study of surface glass transition of poly(vinyl alcohol)”, Macromolecules 2003, 36,
3303-3306
• L. Gao, N. Ji, Y. J. Xiong, X. P. Tang, F. Kong, “Intense laser induced field ionization of C2 H2 ,
C2 H4 , and C2 H6 ”, Chinese Science Bulletin 2003, 48, 1713
• S. H. Han, N. Ji, M. A. Belkin, Y. R. Shen, “Sum-frequency spectroscopy of electronic resonances
on a chiral surface monolayer of bi-naphthol”, Physical Review B 2002, 66, 165415
• C. Y. Wu, Y. J. Xiong, N. Ji, Y. He, Z. Gao, F. Kong, “Field ionization of aliphatic ketones by
intense femtosecond laser”, Journal of Physical Chemistry A 2001, 105, 374
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Invited Talks
• Pushing Boundaries: New Technologies for Mapping Neural Circuitry, 2015 Neuroscience Annual
Spring Symposium, University of Michigan, Apr. 20th, 2015
• Bio-Optics: Design and Application, Optical Society of America, Vancouver, Canada, Apr. 14th,
2015
• Sunposium 2015: Neural Circuits and Sunshine, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience,
FL, March 31st, 2015
• OXYOPIA seminar, University of California, Berkeley, CA, Mar. 9th, 2015
• Adaptive Optics and Wavefront Control for Biological Systems, SPIE Photonics West, San Francisco, CA, Feb. 8th, 2015
• International Symposium on Multi-dimensional Fluorescence Live Imaging of Cellular Functions
and Molecular Activities, Kyoto, Japan, Jan. 26th, 2015
• Applied Physics Colloquium, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, Nov. 21st, 2014
• Imaging structure and function in the nervous system, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold
Spring Harbor, NY, Aug. 6th, 2014
• NCI-LCB Seminar, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, Jun. 10th, 2014
• Physical, Engineering, and Biological Limits to Brain Measurements, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA, May 30th, 2014
• IRP Seminar, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD, May 27th, 2014
• Page Morton Hunter Seminar, Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Apr. 10th,
2014
• Imaging Synapse Structure and Function in the Vertebrate Brain, Janelia Research Campus,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, Apr. 1st, 2014
• OSA Controlled Light Propagation through Complex Media Incubator, Optical Society of America, Washington DC, Mar. 6th, 2014
• Shaping the Waves: Engineering Optical Wavefront for Biomedical Imaging, Janelia Research
Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, Nov. 18th, 2013
• 2nd Annual Next Generation Medical Imaging Workshop, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg,
PA, Sep. 26th, 2013
• Frontier and Challenges in Laser-Based Biological Microscopy, Telluride, CO, Aug. 6th, 2013
• 2013 Imaging and Applied Optics: OSA Optics and Photonics Congress, Optical Society of
America, Arlington, VA, June 25th, 2013
• Francis Crick Symposium on Neuroscience: The Changing Brain, Cold Spring Harbor Asia,
Suzhou, China, May 6th, 2013
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• MEMS Adaptive Optics VII, SPIE Photonic West, San Francisco, CA, Feb. 7th, 2013
• 10th Advanced Imaging Methods Workshop, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, Jan. 30th, 2013
• 2nd Multimodal NLO Microscopy Workshop, Purdue University, Lafayette, IN, July 26th, 2012
• Pushing the Limit of Nonlinear Imaging, FiO/LS 2011, Optical Society of America, San Jose,
CA, Oct. 18th, 2011
• Two-Photon Imaging of Brain Circuits, EMBO Practical Course, Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany, Sep. 7th, 2011
• American Chemical Society Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, Sep. 1st, 2011
• New Tools for Neuroscience: Workshop II: Non-invasive Measurement and Control of Targeted
Deep Brain Function, Defense Science Research Council, Washington DC, May 19th, 2011
• New Advances in Optical Imaging of Live Cells and Organisms, Cold Spring Harbor Asia Conference, Suzhou, China, May 11th, 2011
• Optics Seminar, Physics Department, Fudan University, Shanghai, China, May 13th, 2011
• Multi-photon imaging: The next 6 × 1023 femtoseconds, Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard
Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, Apr. 5th, 2011
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Young Investigators Meeting, National Institute of
Health, Bethesda, MD, Apr. 1st, 2011
• Ordering Off the Menu: Novel Microscopy Methods, Northwestern University Biological Imaging Facility and the Midwest Microscopy and Microanalysis Society, Northwestern University,
Chicago, IL, Mar. 25th, 2011
• Seeing is Believing – Imaging the Processes of Life , European Molecular Biology Laboratory,
Heidelberg, Germany, Mar. 20th, 2011
• SPIE Photonics West, San Francisco, Jan. 27th, 2011
• UC-CfAO Adaptive Optics Seminar, University of California Berkeley, Jan. 25th, 2011
• 8th Annual Advanced Methods Workshop, University of California Berkeley, Jan. 20th, 2011
• Cutting-edge fluorescence imaging technologies, ASCB Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, Dec.
14th, 2010
• Frontiers in Neurophotonics International Symposium, 2nd edition, Quebec City, Sept. 23rd,
2010
• New Optical Methods in Cell Physiology, Society of General Physiologists, 64th Annual Meeting,
Marine Biology Laboratory, Woods Hole, Sept. 9th, 2010
• Novel Approaches to Bioimaging II, Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical
Institute, May 2nd, 2010
• New and Notable Symposium, 2010 Biophysical Society Meeting, San Francisco, February 21st,
2010
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• Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, Dec. 10th, 2009
• Watching the Cellular Nanomachinery at Work - A transatlantic workshop held by the Highlights in Microscopy Program of the German Research Foundation and The National Center for
Dynamic Interactome Research, The Rockefeller University, New York, Nov. 9th, 2009
• Stanford Photonics Research Center Annual Symposium, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, Sep.
16, 2008
• Emerging Technologies in Bioimaging, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO,
Sep. 11, 2008
• Novel Approaches to Bio-imaging, Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical
Institute, Ashburn, VA, March 10, 2008
• Optics Seminar, Oregon Center for Optics, University of Oregon, Apr. 10, 2006
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