Members

Yi Zhang, PhD

I’m an Assistant Professor at Duke University School of Medicine in the Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics. I obtained BS from University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), and PhD in Bioengineering with Dr. Jun S. Song at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). I did postdoc at Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard University School of Public Health working with Shirley Liu, Myles Brown, and Xihong Lin. I have been developing integrative genomic methods to identify functional gene regulatory mechanisms behind disease-associated human genetic variants. I have also recently been developing statistical, machine learning, and artificial intelligence methods that leverage large-scale single-cell datasets to understand cell states in tumor microenvironment. My ongoing work include deep learning models of spatial transcriptomics, and statistical models for genetics and functional genomics. For fun, I enjoy running, hiking, music and wildlife photography.


Email: yi.zhang [at] duke [dot] edu

Address: Duke University MSRB1 199B, 203 Research Dr, Durham, NC 27705


Chuhanwen Sun

My name is Chuhanwen (Silas) Sun, a visiting research intern in Yi’s lab, a Master student at Karolinska Institute. I graduated from Tsinghua University with degree in Life Sciences. I am eager to enhance my research capabilities, focusing specifically on data-driven disease research, particularly in the realms of disease diagnosis and treatment. In my free time, I enjoy basketball, gym working out and film photography.


Xingyuan Zhang

I am a rotation Computational Biology and Bioinformatics PhD student in Yi’s lab in Fall 2024. I obtained my BS in biotechnology from Peking University and my MS in Biostatistics from UNC Chapel Hill. My research interest is about using statistical modeling and machine learning algorithms to solve problems in spatial transcriptomics and other genomics problems related to human diseases. In my spare time, I love to play basketball, listening to classical music as well as watching movies.


Huiyue Li

I am a first-year PhD student in Biostatistics at Duke University, working as a rotation student in Yi’s lab since August 2024. Previously, I received my master’s degree at Duke Biostatistics. My research interest is to develop statistical and computational methods for single-cell and spatial genomics. In my free time, I enjoy playing pickleball, cooking, and playing with my cat Charlie.


Zhujun (Christina) Yao

I am a first-year PhD student in Biology at Duke University, working as a rotation student in Yi’s lab since December 2024. I received my bachelor’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology at Duke Kunshan University. My research interest is to integrate computational tools and molecular biology experiments to promote disease diagnostics or therapeutic development. In my free time, I enjoy drawing, swimming, and listening to Taylor Swift.


Tong Cheng

My name is Tong (Roxy) Cheng, and I am currently a first-year Master student in Biostatistics at Duke University. I hold a dual bachelor’s degree in mathematics and psychology from Boston University. I aim to develop impactful research projects that drive the creation of innovative medical treatments and therapies. In my free time, I enjoy playing video games, such as League of Legends, cooking, and reading


Zijia Tang

My name is Zijia (Thomas) Tang, and I am a undergraduate research intern in Yi’s lab starting June 2024, majoring in Computer Science. I am a freshman at Duke University starting in September 2024. My research interests lie in computational biology and machine learning. Previously, I delved into single-cell perturbation, employing Variational Autoencoders (VAEs) to predict cellular responses to perturbations. I’m eager to increase the interpretability of my previous work and learn ways to combine privileged information and new information found by neural networks. In my free time, I enjoy playing drums, exercising, and reading science fiction.


Siven Panda

I am Siven Panda, and I am a freshman studying Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Bioinformatics at Duke University. My interests in research lie primarily within bioinformatics, deep and machine learning, with the goal of creating and implementing transformative and impactful computational solutions to biological questions to produce a real impact to disease research, response, and prevention. Previously, I have worked on feature reduction on genomic tracks using autoencoders, as well as utilizing gene ontologies to identify significant associations between particular categories and chromosomes. In my free time, I enjoy long walks, nature and cityscape photography, cooking, and making cool things.


Bo Chi

I am a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Math and Computer Science with a minor in Computational Biology & Bioinformatics. My research interests include developing optimized sequence and spatial multi-omic models to better understand cancer biology. In my free time, I enjoy playing word games, playing Ultimate Frisbee, and watching football.


Yuqian Zhang

I am a undergraduate student majoring Applied Mathematics. My previous research experience includes work on spatio-temporal analysis using ML/DL method, physical image encoding, and generative models for general inverse problem. My interests extend to Computer Graphics&Vision, and Neural Rendering, as well as Graphics&Motion&Game Design. I love about exploring computational techniques and digital creativity across interdisciplinary applications.

Alumni

Name Role Current status
Yijia Alva Jiang Master student, Harvard DBMI, Shirley Liu lab PhD student, UPenn
Jack Jiajinlong Kang Master student, Harvard CBQG, Shirley Liu lab PhD student, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Yingxiao Shi PhD student, Harvard BBS, Shirley Liu lab PhD student, Harvard & Dana-Farber Cancer Institute