Dr. Zhengyang Zhou
Assistant Professor, Department of Population & Community Health
Education & Experience:
I received a PhD in Biostatistics from the joint program of Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, a MS in Statistical Science from Southern Methodist University, and a BS in Computational Mathematics from Beijing Institute of Technology. I joined the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at UNT Health Science Center as an Assistant Professor in 2018. Prior to that, I served as a research assistant at the Bioinformatics Lab of UT Southwestern with a focus on statistical genetics.
Teaching Areas & Public Health Interests:
My teaching interest is general biostatistics, including statistical methods, application, and software. My primary teaching goal is to develop my students’ theoretical understanding and practical skills in biostatistics.
Professional Activities & Awards:
I am a member of the American Society of Human Genetics, Research Society on Alcoholism, Society for Prevention Research, International Biometric Society – Eastern North American Region, and the American Statistical Association. I received the Junior Investigator Award from the Research Society on Alcoholism in 2021.
Scholarly Interests:
My research agenda can be broadly classified into two major dimensions: statistical methodology and discovery-oriented collaboration. In methodological research, I focus on (a) developing novel statistical methods to address real-world research challenges and (b) evaluating existing methods to inform practical recommendations for applied researchers. In discovery-oriented collaborative research, I aid discoveries with sophisticated data analytics in large interdisciplinary research groups. Thus far, I have contributed to three scientific areas: aging and Alzheimer’s disease, health behaviors and substance use, and statistical genetics / genetic epidemiology.
My research lab is currently seeking MS/PhD students interested in the fields of aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Our primary research goal is to gain comprehensive insights into the epidemiology and risk factors of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) across diverse communities, employing advanced statistical and machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI) methodologies. Through our research on ADRD, we aim to uncover and address health disparities related to ADRD in underrepresented populations, including Mexican Americans and African Americans.
Primarily, my research interests lie in comprehending (a) the genetic architecture of Alzheimer’s disease through genomics or epigenomics studies, including genome-wide association studies and epigenome-wide association studies; (b) the interaction between genes and environmental factors in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (GxE interaction); and (c) the influence of socioeconomic determinants on cognitive function in diverse minority populations. My research methodologies involve the utilization of advanced statistical and machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI) techniques. I am actively engaged in collaborations with leading researchers in large-scale studies on Alzheimer’s disease, such as the Health & Aging Brain Study – Health Disparities (HABS-HD) and the Texas Alzheimer’s Research and Care Consortium (TARCC).
Social media