Center for Statistics in Big Data (CSBD)
Advancing statistical and computational methods to transform high-dimensional multi-modal biomedical data into actionable insights for precision health.
Hongzhe Li (Lee), PhD
Vice Chair, Research Integration
Director, Center for Statistics in Big Data
Perelman Professor of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics
About the Director
Hongzhe Li is the Perelman Professor of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics at the University of Pennsylvania, with secondary appointments in Statistics and Data Science, Applied Mathematics and Computational Science, and Genomics and Computational Biology. He serves as Vice Chair for Research Integration in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics and directs the Center for Statistics in Biomedical Big Data.
Dr. Li’s research lies at the intersection of statistics, artificial intelligence, and biomedicine. His group develops statistical and machine learning methods for multimodal and population-scale biomedical data, including genomics, single-cell and spatial omics, microbiome and virome studies, electronic health records, and precision health applications.
He is an elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Li has published more than 290 peer-reviewed articles and has led numerous NIH-funded research programs spanning statistical methodology, biomedical AI, and translational data science.
Our People
The Center fosters interdisciplinary collaborations across the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Medicine, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and external institutions. Our faculty lead and participate in major research initiatives spanning biomedical AI, genomics, microbiome and virome science, precision health, and population biology. Together, these collaborations create a vibrant ecosystem of methodological innovation and translational research, advancing the development of statistical and AI methods for biomedicine.
Core CSBD Faculty
Brielin Brown, PhD
Assistant Professor of Informatics and Genetics
T. Tony Cai, PhD
Daniel H. Silberberg Professor; Professor of Statistics and Data Science (The Wharton School)
Ziyue Gao, PhD
Assistant Professor of Genetics
Jin Jin, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biostatistics
James D. Lewis, MD, MSCE
Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology
Haochang Shou, PhD
Associate Professor of Biostatistics
Katalin Susztak, MD, PhD (Medicine)
Professor of Medicine (Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension)
Affiliated Faculty
Kyle Bittinger, PhD – Assistant Professor, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Microbiome and Metagenomics)
Rajat Deo, MD – Professor of Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine (Precision Health and Cardiovascular Medicine)
Ying Jin, PhD – Assistant Professor, Department of Statistics and Data Science (Statistical Learning, AI and Data Science)
Lin Zhang, MD – Harry Fields Research Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Cancer Genomics and Women’s Health)
Sarah Tishkoff, PhD – David and Lyn Silfen University Professor in Genetics and Biology (Human Genetics and Population Genomics)
Frederic D. Bushman, PhD – William Maul Measey Professor in Microbiology (Human Microbiome and Virome)
Bingxin Zhao, PhD – Associate Professor of Statistics and Data Science
Research Staff
Yun Li, PhD – Bioinformatician
Yue (Joy) Ren, MA – Application Developer & Statistical Analyst