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About

Yanpeng Yang is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of ethology, robotics, and behavioral neuroscience, whose work has fundamentally transformed how we study animal behavior. His primary research focuses on using bio-inspired robotics to investigate social learning, fear responses, and decision-making in zebrafish, a critical model organism for understanding the biological basis of emotion and cognition. Yang’s most influential contribution is his development of interactive robotic predators and conspecifics that enable precise, repeatable experiments impossible with live animals. His landmark 2019 study, cited 54 times, demonstrated that zebrafish adjust their behavior in response to an interactive robotic predator, providing a groundbreaking paradigm for studying fear and anxiety. Yang further advanced the field by creating model-based feedback control systems that regulate live zebrafish behavior through robotic interaction, and by comparing individual versus social learning using an ethorobotics approach. His work, including studies on whether robotic fish can teach zebrafish to learn complex tasks, has garnered over 89 citations and established him as a leader in ethorobotics. Yang’s innovative fusion of robotics and behavioral biology offers unprecedented control and reproducibility, opening new avenues for understanding social cognition and emotional learning in vertebrates.