Thai Truong

Thai Truong serves as Associate Professor (Research) in the Department of Biological Sciences within the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern California. His laboratory develops cutting-edge optical imaging technologies to investigate fundamental neurobiological and developmental processes, with zebrafish as a primary model organism.

His research focuses on biological imaging innovation and neural circuit analysis, particularly in larval zebrafish systems. Current projects involve engineering advanced light field and light sheet microscopy platforms for volumetric bioimaging, studying neural basis of number sense, left-right asymmetry mechanisms, and cellular dynamics during embryogenesis. His work bridges optical engineering, developmental biology, and neuroscience to capture dynamic biological processes in vivo.

Recent publications (2022-2024) reveal a concentrated effort in overcoming technical barriers in volumetric imaging – specifically enhancing depth-of-field, photon collection efficiency, and multi-color acquisition speed. Key applications include mapping neural activity during cognitive tasks in zebrafish, visualizing cardiac dynamics, and analyzing cellular morphogenesis. His group has developed specialized tools like the VoDEx Python library for volumetric data management and hyperspectral phasor cameras for multi-parameter fluorescence imaging.