My lab houlab.org opened shop in July 2022 at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory where I am currently an Assistant Professor. We are actively recuiting Research Technicians, Students, and Postdocs. If you are interested in working with us, please contact me directly via hou [at] cshl.edu with your CV/resume, cover letter, and contact information for three references.

Previously, I was a visiting research scientist in neuromotor interfaces at the CTRL-labs team at Reality Labs. I was a postdoc research scientist and Helen Hay Whitney Fellow at the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University, working with Nate Sawtell and Larry Abbott. Previously, I obtained my B.Sc. in Physics and Biology from MIT, was a grad student with Bernardo Sabatini at Harvard University, and a Grass Fellow at Marine Biological Laboratory.

Selected Publications and Presentations

• A generic noninvasive neuromotor interface for human-computer interaction.
  CTRL-labs at Reality Labs, Sussillo, D., Kaifosh, P., Reardon, T. biorxiv (2024).
• Neural mechanism for predicting the auditory consequences of behavior.
  Hou, X.H., Taskin, N., Yu, C., Genecin, M., Kymissis, I., Abbott, L.F., Sawtell N.B. Computational and Systems Neuroscience (Cosyne) (2021).
• Central Control Circuit for Context-dependent Micturition.
  Hou, X.H., Hyun, M., Taranda, J., Huang, K.W., Todd, E., Feng, D., Atwater, E., Croney, D., Zeidel, M.L., Osten, P., Sabatini B.L. Cell 167, 73-86 (2016).
• Central Network Dynamics Regulating Visceral and Humoral Functions.
  Valentino, R.J., Guyenet, P., Hou, X.H., Herman, M. J Neurosci 37, 10848–10854 (2017).
• Promiscuous binding of extracellular peptides to cell surface class I MHC protein.
  Eisen, H.N., Hou, X.H., Shen, C., Wang, K., Tanguturi, V.K., Smith, C., Kozyrytska, K., Nambiar, L., McKinley, C.A., Chen, J., Cohen, R.J. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 109, 4580-4585 (2012).

Talks

• Departmental Seminar Series, Dept. of Biological Sciences, SUNY Albany, April 2024
• Seminar Series, Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, March 2024
• Gordon Research Conference Cerebellum, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, July 2019
• Neurolunch, Dept. of Biology, Columbia University, May 2019
• Biology Seminar Series, Dept. of Biology, Bowdoin College, April 2018
• Society for Neuroscience Meeting, Symposium on Visceral Functions, Washington DC, November 2017
• Society of Urodynamics Meeting, Scottsdale AZ, February 2017
• Harvard Medical School Dept. of Neurobiology 50th Anniversary Symposium, October 2016
• Champalimaud Neuroscience Symposium, Lisbon, Portugal May 2015

Teaching

• Neuroscience of Motor Control, Fall 2023 (Lecture in CSHL Graduate Program Systems Neuroscience Course)
• Introduction to Neural Circuits and Behavior, Summer 2023 (Lecture in CSHL PREP Postbac Program)
• Computational Neuroscience, Summer 2020 (Neuromatch Academy)
• CS 181: Machine Learning, Spring 2015 (Harvard College)
• BIOS E-50: Introduction to Neurobiology, Fall 2014 (Harvard Extension School)
• NB 101hfg: Advanced Undergraduate Seminar Synapse: Molecules, Networks, and Behavior, Fall & Spring 2013-2014 (Harvard College)
• Computer science instructor, Middle East Education through Technology, Summer 2007 (MIT CSAIL and Hebrew University)

Technical workshops

• DL@MBL: Deep Learning for Microscopy Image Analysis, Marine Biological Laboratory, August 2022
• Neurodata without Borders 8th Hackathon, Virtual, May 2020
• Neuropixels Workshop, Allen Institute for Brain Science, June 2019
• Neural Data Science Workshop, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, July 2017