Kexin Yu, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Kexin Yu, Ph.D., LMSW, is a Social Work Scientist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at UT Southwestern. Her research focuses on reducing loneliness and enhancing cognitive health in older adults through behavioral health interventions and community-based partnerships. Dr. Yu develops and tests programs that promote connection – both in-person and through technology – for individuals with mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or who are aging in under-resourced settings.
Dr. Yu earned her Ph.D. and MSW from the University of Southern California and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Oregon Health & Science University. Outside of professional work, she is drawn to outdoor pursuits, culinary exploration, and quality time with family and friends.
Ren Daley
Research Technician II
Ren Daley grew up in Dallas and earned a BSA in Neuroscience, with minors in Creative Writing and Evidence & Inquiry from the University of Texas. While at UT, she worked with Dr. Hongjoo Lee and studied substance use disorder, orienting behavior, and the estrous cycle in rodent models. Ren also completed her neuroscience honors thesis on the intersection between sleep onset/offset and creativity, as well as her creative writing honors thesis, a novella titled Nature Revealing Herself to Science. At the Connected Aging Lab, Ren is excited to dive into human research and coordinate community and clinical based studies to help improve the cognitive health of older adults. Outside of the lab, Ren enjoys starting more books than she can finish, doing and teaching cross stitch, and playing volleyball/working out with friends.
Franklin Phan
Clinical Research Assistant I
Franklin Phan graduated from Dominican University of California in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Computer Science. Franklin joined the Connected Aging Lab in November 2025 as a Clinical Research Assistant, where he is involved in coordinating investigator-initiated and interventional research studies. Franklin has technical experience in software engineering and artificial intelligence. His work has included training AI language models and developing secure data-handling solutions. His current work in our lab supports Dr. Yu’s efforts to reduce loneliness and enhance cognitive health in older adults by exploring the clinical applications of conversational AI and natural language processing.
Outside of work, Franklin enjoys going to book clubs and literary events in Dallas, watching movies at the theater, and running by the water.