Zheng Wu, PhD

Herbert Wu (Preferred Name)

About Me

Herbert is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. After receiving a Ph.D in Neurobiology from Harvard University, he did his postdoctoral work at the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University. He is a Sloan Research Fellow and was a Junior Fellow at the Simons Society of Fellows and an inaugural ISFS Fellow.

Learn more about the Herbert Wu Laboratory.

Language

English

Position

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR | Neuroscience

Research Topics

Anatomy, Autism, Biomechanics/Bioengineering, Biomedical Sciences, Biophotonics, Biophysics, Brain, Brain Imaging, Cerebellum, Cerebral Cortex, Cognitive Neuroscience, Computational Neuroscience, Diversity, Electrophysiology, Endocrinology, Epigenetics, Epigenomics, Gene Expressions, Genomics, Hippocampus, Hormones, Image Analysis, Imaging, Mathematical and Computational Biology, Memory, Motor Control, Neural Networks, Neurobiology, Neuropeptides, Neuroscience, Prefrontal Cortex, Stem Cells, Stress, Systems Neuroscience, Theoretical Neuroscience, Two-Photon Imaging

Multi-Disciplinary Training Areas

Development Regeneration and Stem Cells [DRS], Genetics and Genomic Sciences [GGS], Neuroscience [NEU]

Education

PhD, Harvard University

Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University

Awards

2023

Sloan Research Fellowship in Neuroscience

2023

NIMH Biobehavioral Research Award for Innovative New Scientists (BRAINS)

2021

ISFS Fellow, Intersections Science Fellows Symposium

2016

Junior Fellow, Simons Society of Fellows

Research

Innate social behaviors are thought to be orchestrated by hard-wired circuits and released by specific external stimuli. But these circuits are subject to flexible control, as an individual must update its behavior based on its own state and the actions of others in order to survive and reproduce. Using parenting as well as other innate social behaviors, we will investigate how these genetically defined neural circuits are modulated by the animal’s own long-term state and moment-by-moment action of others and how these modulations are disrupted in disease.

Industry Relationships

Physicians and scientists on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai often interact with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology companies, and other outside entities to improve patient care, develop new therapies and achieve scientific breakthroughs. In order to promote an ethical and transparent environment for conducting research, providing clinical care and teaching, Mount Sinai requires that salaried faculty inform the School of their outside financial relationships.

Below are financial relationships with industry reported by Dr. Wu during 2025 and/or 2026. Please note that this information may differ from information posted on corporate sites due to timing or classification differences.

Board Service

Giantbug Educational Foundation
Lezhong Xinzhi Education Consulting Co., Ltd.

Equity (Stock or stock options valued at greater than 5% ownership of a publicly traded company or equity of any value in a privately held company)

Lezhong Xinzhi Education Consulting Co., Ltd.

Founder/Co-Founder/Partner

Lezhong Xinzhi Education Consulting Co., Ltd.

Mount Sinai’s faculty policies relating to faculty collaboration with industry are posted on our website. Patients may wish to ask their physician about the activities they perform for companies.