Who we are

Current and past lab members

Wei-Li Wu (吳偉立)

Principal Investigator

+886-2353535 #5458

ORCID: 0000-0003-2610-1881
Scopus: 56541997900

Research Experience

Associate Professor, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, 2023-now

Assistant Professor, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, 2018-2023

Visiting Associate, California Institute of Technology, USA, 2018-2021

Postdoctoral Scholar, California Institute of Technology, USA, 2012-2018

Postdoctoral Scholar, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, 2011-2012

Society

EMBO Global Investigator Network, 2025-2028

Director (理事), Taiwan Neuroscience Society, Taiwan, 2022-2026

International Affairs and Physiology Education Committee (IAPEC), Chinese Physiological Society, Taiwan, 2020-2026

Academic Committee, Chinese Physiological Society, Taiwan, 2020-2024

Education

Ph.D., National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan

M.S., National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan

B.S., National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan

Biography

Dr. Wei-Li Wu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology at the College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University. Dr. Wu received his M.S. in Marine Biology from National Sun Yat-sen University, where his research, under the guidance of Dr. Hin-Kiu Mok and Dr. Chi-Ying Lee, focused on neurotransmission during aggressive behavior using a fighting fish model. He then completed his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Academia Sinica under Dr. Chih-Cheng Chen, profiling emotion-related behavioral changes in a mouse model with sensory deficits. From 2012 to 2014, Dr. Wu conducted postdoctoral research at Caltech in the late Prof. Paul Patterson's lab, investigating gene-environment interactions in preclinical models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia, particularly focusing on maternal immune activation. He later joined Prof. Sarkis Mazmanian's lab at Caltech in 2014, where he significantly expanded his research on the gut-brain axis, focusing on how gut microbiota influence brain function and behavior. During his time in the lab, he explored the complex interactions between microbial communities and the central nervous system, investigating their potential role in ASD. This experience strengthened his understanding of the microbial influence on mental health and laid the groundwork for his future research on microbiota-based therapies for brain-related disorders.In 2018, Dr. Wu established his own laboratory at National Cheng Kung University, where his research focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms through which gut microbiota influence brain circuits and host behaviors. His current work explores microbiota-driven neural circuits that govern innate behaviors using microbiome-manipulated mice, aiming to unravel how microbial signals impact brain health.

Current personnel

Tzu-Ting Lai (賴姿廷)

PhD student

110 -114 學年度國科會&國立成功大學培育優秀博士生獎學金

110學年度黃崑巖教授獎學金

B.S. National Cheng Kung University

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

Physiology, Feb 2019 - Jan 2021

Ph.D. student in the National Cheng Kung University

Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, 2021/09-now

Yu-Hsuan Tsai (蔡于宣)

PhD student

112-116 學年度國科會&國立成功大學培育優秀博士生獎學金

B.S. I-Shou University

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

Physiology, Sep 2021-Aug 2023

Ph.D. student in the National Cheng Kung University

Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, 2023/09-now

Zakir Ullah

PhD student

B.S. Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan

M.S. Central South University, China

Basic Medical Science, Sep 2021 - July 2024

Ph.D. student in the National Cheng Kung University

TIGP-INS , 2024/09-now

Chia-Chen Ko (柯佳辰)

PhD student

B.S. National Sun Yat-sen University

M.S. National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Ph.D. student in the National Cheng Kung University

Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, 2025/09-now

Wei-Chen Chen (陳緯宸)

MS student

B.S. National Sun Yat-sen University

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

Physiology, Sep 2024-now

Po-Cheng Huang (黃柏誠)

MS student

B.S. National Pingtung University of Science and Technology

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

Physiology, Sep 2025-now

Yu-Chia Yu (游昱嘉)

Undergraduate Researcher

B.S. National Cheng Kung University

Nov 2023-now
113學年科技部大專生計畫

Cheng-Yueh Tsai (蔡承越)

Undergraduate Researcher

B.S. National Cheng Kung University

Sep 2024-now

Natalie Schumacher (陳巧音)

Undergraduate Researcher

B.S. National Cheng Kung University

Mar 2025-now

Alumni

PhD

Chia-Wei Liou (劉嘉瑋)

PhD '24, Basic medical sciences (2018.09-2024.02)

Thesis: Targeting short-chain fatty acids mediated neural circuits in social recognition and anxiety-like behavior in mice

Ph.D. National Cheng Kung University

110 學年度黃崑巖教授獎學金

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

B.S. National Sun Yat-sen University

Ju-Ching Cheng (鄭如晴)

MS '25, physiology (2023.09-2025.08)

Thesis: The role of estradiol in defensive behavior of female mice in response to aerial threats

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

B.S. Chung Shan Medical University

Tzu-Hsuan Yao (姚子宣)

MS '24, physiology (2022.09-2024.08)

Thesis: Short-chain fatty acids regulate neural activity in excitatory neurons of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

B.S. National Cheng Kung University

Undergraduate researcher in WLW lab (Mar 2019 - Aug 2022; 109學年科技部大專生計畫)

Shin-Mei Wen (文心玫)

MS '24, physiology (2022.09-2024.08)

Thesis: Colonization of commensal gut microbes impacts colonic migrating motor complex ex vivo

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

B.S. Soochow University

Jia-Ying Xue (薛家滎)

MS '23, physiology (2021.09-2023.08)

Thesis: Effect of transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation of the whole brain on microbiome and behavior in mice

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

B.S. National Sun Yat-sen University

Undergraduate researcher in WLW lab (Dec 2018 - Feb 2020; 108學年科技部大專生計畫)

Yu-Hsuan Tsai (蔡于宣)

MS '23, physiology (2021.09-2023.08)

Thesis: Commensal gut microbe modulates stress-induced gut dysmotility through gut-derived metabolites and sympathetic nervous system

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

B.S. I-Shou University

Yuan-Yuan Lin (林元元）

MS '21, physiology (2019.09-2021.08)

Thesis: The impact of early-life antibiotics exposure on the behaviors and gut microbiota in mice

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

B.S. Chung Shan Medical University

Tzu-Ting Lai (賴姿廷)

MS '21, physiology (2019.02-2021.01)

Thesis: Gut microbiota-mediated glucagon-like peptide-1 modulates locomotor activity via vagal-dependent pathway

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

B.S. National Cheng Kung University

Jo-Ting Wu (武若婷)

MS '21, physiology (2018.09-2021.01)

Thesis: The role of short-chain fatty acid in innate fear response and social behavior

M.S. National Cheng Kung University

B.S. National Cheng Kung University

Undergraduate Researcher

Hephaes Chow (周佺): B.S. National Cheng Kung University (Oct 2021 - Jul 2023)

Ying-Chia Christina He (何盈佳): B.S. National Cheng Kung University (Oct 2021 - Feb 2023): 暑期研究 (111)

Dong-Ting Ke (柯東廷): B.S. National Cheng Kung University (Oct 2021 - Feb 2023): 暑期研究 (111)

Ilona Chen (陳映蓉): B.S. Boston College (June 2022-Sep 2022 )

Kuan-Min Wu (吳冠旻): B.S. National Cheng Kung University (May 2021 - Feb 2023): 暑期研究 (110); 健康文教基金會暑期研究(111)

Co-advisor

PhD