I am currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. My advisor is professor Qiuying Sha. My research is in statistical genetics. I focus on the development of novel statistical methods and efficient bioinformatical tools to find genetic variants or genes related to complex diseases and traits, such as type II diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, et al. My main project is incorporating the genotype and phenotype association network to simultaneously analyze multiple phenotypes and multiple genotypes and improve the power to identify genes that are associated with complex diseases by using the constructed network. Under the supervision of Dr. Sha, I have also collaborated with the Upper Peninsula Health Plan (UPHP) in Marquette, MI since 2019 to determine the relationship between health service costs and diabetic medication compliance for patients with diabetes in the UPHP population.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Portage Health Foundation for the support, which allows me to focus on such cutting-edge research here at Michigan Tech and prepare the manuscripts for publications in the coming fall. I also want to thank my advisors Professor Qiuying Sha and Professor Shuanglin Zhang for all of their valuable guidance and support over the last four years, and I am extremely grateful to the graduate program in Math Department for their constant help and generous support throughout my entire graduate school studies.