Dr. Jill Kao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Radiological Sciences at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU). Her expertise in neuroscience was established during her graduate studies focusing on in vivo electrophysiology and further refined at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill), where she specialized in developing advanced small-animal MRI techniques. Dr. Kao occupies a unique niche in the field, bridging the gap between cutting-edge electrophysiology and innovative neuroimaging. Since returning to Taiwan, she has dedicated her career to translating high-level imaging technology into clinically significant research. By integrating her precise mastery of animal models with multi-parametric MRI and quantitative analysis, Dr. Kao provides the scientific evidence necessary to advance the precision diagnosis and treatment of complex neurological disorders.

Established in mid-2020 at NYCU, the Preclinical Brain Imaging (PBI) Lab focuses on probing functional and metabolic changes across the progression of neurological diseases. The lab utilizes state-of-the-art multimodal MRI techniques—including measurements of cerebral blood flow, white-matter integrity, blood-brain barrier disruption, and neural network connectivity—in both rat and mouse models. A hallmark of the PBI Lab is its deep integration with clinical medicine; through continuous dialogue with experts in neurology, neurosurgery, and pediatrics, the lab investigates highly relevant clinical issues such as mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), stroke, and neonatal neurological disease. By linking sophisticated preclinical models with translational neuroimaging, the PBI Lab aims to uncover the pathological mechanisms of disease and pioneer innovations that move from the laboratory bench to the clinical bedside.