Ph.D. Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2022
M.S. Statistics, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2022
M.S. Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2019
B.S. Psychology, Fudan University, 2017

• Adolescent Health
• Parenting and Family Dynamics
• Naturalistic Social Interactions
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Developmental Neuroscience

HDFS 5300: HDFS and Social Policy

Flux Travel Award, Society for Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
International Research Grant, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Adolescent brain development in ecological context
This line of research explores how adolescents’ brain development is shaped by ecological contexts such as family, neighborhood, and broader environments. Using large-scale longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, it aims to understand the dynamic interplay between brain and environment over time. Key questions include: How does the adolescent brain respond to changing environmental contexts? What neural phenotypes are especially sensitive or resilient to these influences?

Parent-Child Interactions and Physiological Synchrony
This line of research investigates how physiological responses unfold during parent-child conversations and how they contribute to adolescent development. It includes studies of both individual regulatory capacities, such as a child’s vagal flexibility, and dyadic co-regulation, reflected in the physiological synchrony between parent and child. By focusing on these real-time dynamic processes, the work aims to capture how physiological regulation operates not only within individuals but also across interactions, shaping the emotional and social development of adolescents.

Neural Correlates of Emotional Co-regulation
This line of research uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine the neural basis of emotional co-regulation during naturalistic human interactions. It focuses on identifying patterns of neural synchrony during emotionally meaningful conversations and linking them to real-time changes in emotion, language, and behavior. This project seeks to advance understanding of how interpersonal processes are coordinated across multiple biological and behavioral systems in everyday social contexts.

Cai, T., Zhou, Z., Yang, B., Wang, F., Chen, B.-B., & Qu, Y. (2025). Correlates and influences of Chinese parental communication about the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of parental burnout. Developmental Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001905

Zhou, L., Cai, T., & Ip, K. I. (2025). Association Between Neighborhood Opportunity, Cognitive Function, and Brain Structure in Youths. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, 5(5), 100533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100533

Martinez, M., Cai, T., Yang, B., Zhou, Z., Shankman, S. A., Mittal, V. A., Haase, C. M., & Qu, Y. (2024). Depressive symptoms during the transition to adolescence: Left hippocampal volume as a marker of social context sensitivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(37), e2321965121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2321965121

Cai, T., Yang, B., Zhou, Z., Ip, K. I., Adam, E. K., Haase, C. M., & Qu, Y. (2024). Longitudinal associations between neighborhood safety and adolescent adjustment: The moderating role of affective neural sensitivity. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 67, 101380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101380

Cai, T., Li, X., Chen, S., Wang, X., Liu, Y., Zhang, K., Wu, G., & Qu, Y. (2024). The Impact of School Reopening on Chinese Adolescents’ Mental Health During COVID-19: Considering the Role of Academic Stress and Academic Orientation. Journal of Adolescent Health, 75(4), 560–568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.05.011