Hou Lab

Hou Lab

Principal Investigator

About

As an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Biostatistics and an affiliated member of the Data Science Institute at Columbia University, Dr. Wenpin Hou is dedicated to developing AI and statistical methods to decode gene regulatory programs from single-cell and spatial multiomics data. Her work aims to characterize developmental processes, identify regulatory alterations in complex human diseases, and uncover potential intervention strategies for targeted therapies. Her group focuses on: (a) statistical models for analyzing temporal and spatial patterns in single-cell and spatial omics data; (b) computational methods to infer DNA methylation and its spatial landscape; (c) foundation models for gene regulatory activities; and (d) novel applications of Generative Pre-trained Transformer models in biomedical research.

Before that, as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health mentored by Dr. Stephanie Hicks and Dr. Hongkai Ji, Dr. Hou received the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) (1K99HG011468-01) from NIH/NHGRI in March 2021 (mentors: Dr. Hongkai Ji, Dr. Stephanie Hicks, and Dr. Andrew Feinberg), to develop computational methods for inferring single-cell DNA methylation and its spatial landscape. In addition, she worked with Dr. Suchi Saria in the Department of Computer Science and Dr. Aravinda Chakravarti in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics on gene regulatory network inference using longitudinal transcriptomics and chromatin accessibility data. Dr. Hou received her Ph.D. in Mathematics with University Postgraduate Fellowships (UPF) and Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS) from The University of Hong Kong under the supervision of Dr. Wai-Ki Ching.

Dr. Hou is looking for students in all levels and two postdocs to work together on exciting research projects. Welcome to contact her or put her name in your application if you are interested.

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