CV

You can find my CV here.

Education

• Ph.D in Biostatistics, University of Southern California, 2025 (expected)
• M.S. in Biostatistics, Columbia University, 2020
• B.S. in Genetics & Genomics, University of California, Davis, 2018

Skills

• Programming: R, Python, Linux, high performance computing, Git & Github
• Courses: Machine learning, Deep learning, Advanced statistical computing, High dimensional data, Generalized linear models, Mixed effects modeling
• Other skills: scientific writing, presentation, communication, collaboration

Publications

Genes with differential expression across ancestries are enriched in ancestry-specific disease effects likely due to gene-by-environment interactions

Wang, J., Zhang, Z., Lu, Z., Mancuso, N., and Gazal, S. (2024). Genes with differential expression across ancestries are enriched in ancestry-specific disease effects likely due to gene-by-environment interactions. Am. J. Hum. Genet.

Inferring causal cell types of human diseases and risk variants from candidate regulatory elements

Kim, A., Zhang, Z., Legros, C., Lu, Z., de Smith, A., Moore, J.E., Mancuso, N., and Gazal, S. (2024). Inferring causal cell types of human diseases and risk variants from candidate regulatory elements. medRxiv.

A scalable approach to characterize pleiotropy across thousands of human diseases and complex traits using GWAS summary statistics

Zhang, Z., Jung, J., Kim, A., Suboc, N., Gazal, S., and Mancuso, N. (2023). A scalable approach to characterize pleiotropy across thousands of human diseases and complex traits using GWAS summary statistics. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 110, 1863–1874.

Talks

Scalable count-based models improve power and robustness to detect eQTLs in large-scale single-cell data

A variational Bayesian approach to characterize pleiotropic components across thousands of human diseases and complex traits using GWAS summary statistics

Teaching

Teaching Assistant

Instructor for R bootcamp workshop

Teaching Assistant

Fellowship & Rewards

Student Success Scholarship, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, USC, 10/24

• 500$

Conference Travel Award, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, USC, 10/23

• 500$

Keck School of Medicine Dean’s Fellowship, 2020-2021

• 36,000$

Honors

• Recipient, Dean’s Honors List, College of Letters and Sciences, Fall 2014
• Recipient, Dean’s Honors List, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Winter 2015 and Fall 2015
• Recipient, Dean’s Honors List, College of Biological Sciences, Spring 2017 and Spring 2018

Service and leadership

President, 2021-2024, Graduate Society of Biostatistics and Epidemiology (GSBE) at Keck School of Medicine, USC

• Organized academic and career development events such as book clubs, workshops, and social events.
• Represented our group to give celebration speech for graduation ceremony and welcoming talk for school orientation.

President, 2018-2020, Career China Club, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

• Planned events for student panel talk of internship experience.
• Invited speakers from pharmaceutical industries to visit campus and share working experience with students.

Work experience

Biostatistics Intern, BeiGene, 06/23

• Developed R shiny web to guide triple outcome (Go/No-Go/Consider) decision making in basket trial design for oncology/hemotology phase Ib efficacy expansion studies.
• Evaluated frequentist and Bayesian hierarchical modeling approaches in type I error and power for making the correct decision by simulations in R.
• Supervisor: co-mentored by Nicole Li, Zang Miao, Huan Cheng