Gaqi (Jakki) Tu, Ph. D.

We are thrilled to announce that Jakki has successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis! Her research uncovered the critical role of acetylcholine in the medial prefrontal cortex in learning about uncertain threats, utilizing optogenetics, fiber photometry, and miniscope calcium imaging techniques. This ambitious project resulted in the publication of three empirical papers (Journal of Neuroscience, 2022, eLife, 2025; iScience, 2025)!

A special thank you goes out to Dr. Boyer Winters for his insightful questions as an external appraiser. We would also like to thank the other committee members: Drs. Sheena Josselyn, Junchul Kim, Laura Corbit, Maithe Arruda-Carvalho, and Loren Martin.

Congratulations, Jakki, on this outstanding achievement!