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Kanhao (Alex) Zhao

Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry

BioDr. Zhao is a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University specializing in computational neuroscience, neuroimaging, and integrative multi-omics approaches to brain health. His research integrates supervised and unsupervised machine learning, functional neuroimaging, microbiome sequencing, metabolomics, and large-scale clinical datasets (e.g., Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) to investigate how modifiable risk factors such as obesity, diet, and gut dysbiosis contribute to accelerated brain aging, cognitive vulnerability, and psychiatric symptoms.

His work focuses on developing multimodal frameworks that combine functional brain connectivity, cognitive and emotional phenotyping, microbiome profiles, and metabolomic signatures to uncover biological mechanisms underlying early cognitive decline and neuropsychiatric disorders. Through these approaches, Dr. Zhao aims to identify personalized intervention strategies—including dietary modification, microbiome-targeted therapies, and metabolite-guided treatments—to mitigate obesity-related brain aging and reduce the risk of cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, and depression.

In addition to translational neuroscience research, Dr. Zhao develops machine learning and computational methods for biomarker discovery, disease prediction, and precision psychiatry. His recent work also explores autonomous AI research agents and self-improving computational systems for large-scale neuroimaging and multi-omics foundational analysis. His publications were in online Nature Mental Health, Molecular Psychiatry, JAMA Network Open. He serves as a peer reviewer for leading journals, including Nature Mental Health, Medical Image Analysis, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, npj Digital Health, and Neuropsychopharmacology.