Jia Guo

Dr. Jia Guo is an Assistant Professor of Neurobiology in the Department of Psychiatry and is also affiliated with the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University. As a neural engineer, his research lies at the intersection of neuroscience, engineering, and deep learning, with a strong focus on developing translational imaging biomarkers for the early diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia, brain aging, and Alzheimer’s disease. His lab integrates advanced MRI and MRS techniques with deep learning to reveal not only functional, but also morphometric and metabolite-level brain abnormalities—mapping molecular-to-system-level dysfunction using advanced imaging and AI. A key objective of Dr. Guo’s work is to identify dysregulated molecular pathways—such as the glutamate metabolic cycle—and trace their effects from cellular and circuit-level dysfunction in animal models to measurable biomarkers in humans. This integrative framework enables mechanistic insights to directly inform clinical diagnostics and therapeutic interventions. Dr. Guo’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the BBRF Young Investigator Award and the Hevolution/AFAR New Investigator Award, and he leads collaborative, NIH-funded research with potentially far-reaching implications for precision psychiatry.