About me

I am Kai Cao, a Junior at the University of California, Irvine, pursuing a major in Neurobiology. I am passionate about learning and research in the fields of biology. I am currently in Igarashi Lab at UCI School of Medicine supervised by Dr. Kei Igarashi.

I have participated in various academic programs and projects that have enhanced my skills and knowledge. In the Igarashi Lab, I focus on Alzheimer's disease and memory formation within the entorhinal-hippocampal brain circuits. I perform experiments involving behavioral training and mice tissue analysis, including perfusion fixation and brain sectioning. I worked as a Learning Assistant for General Chemistry at UC Irvine in 2023. In this role, I assisted over 150 students in improving their comprehension of the coursework by facilitating effective communication with the professor and identifying areas requiring additional support. I conducted thorough review sessions to deepen students' understanding of key concepts and effectively prepare them for exams. Additionally, I conducted a comprehensive pathology analysis and designed an experiment related to Alzheimer's disease as a group leader in high school.

I am always eager to learn new things and challenge myself. I am looking for opportunities to apply my skills and interests in meaningful ways and contribute to the advancement of science and society.

I am currently seeking a technician position or research opportunity in the areas of Neuroscience and Cell Biology.

Publication

Kai Cao, Tatsuki Nakagawa*, Jiayun L. Xie*, Marjan Savadkohi, Jason Y. Lee, Heechul Jun & Kei M. Igarashi: Circuit mechanisms underlying associative memory impairment in APP-KI, UC Irvine Undergraduate Research Symposia, 2024.