I am deeply honored to receive the Doctoral Finishing Fellowship and extend my sincere gratitude to the Graduate School and the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel for this recognition. This award offers essential support at this pivotal stage of my Ph.D. journey and affirms the value of my research contributions.
As a Ph.D. candidate in Computational Science and Engineering at Michigan Technological University, my work focuses on advancing bioinformatics, particularly in plant genomics, complex disease associations, and systems biology. I have actively engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations through DOE, NSF, and CDC funded projects, where I developed novel computational frameworks such as PredTORpath, DyGAF, and TGPred. These algorithms combine statistics, machine learning, and biological data analysis to reveal gene regulatory mechanisms across plant and human systems, and are publicly available to support the scientific community.
In addition to research, I have contributed to peer-reviewed publications, mentored graduate helper, and participated in cross-disciplinary initiatives—all of which have shaped my long-term commitment to innovation in computational biology.
I am especially grateful to my advisor, Dr. Hairong Wei, for his unwavering mentorship and guidance, and to my colleagues in both the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science—where my research is based—and the College of Computing, which hosts my Ph.D. program in Computational Science and Engineering, for their continued support.
This fellowship enables me to focus on completing my dissertation and further pursue impactful research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, genomics, and precision medicine. I am sincerely thankful for this opportunity and remain committed to advancing sustainable agriculture and human health through computational innovation.