Welcome to the Chong Wu Research Group

We are a research group led by Chong Wu in the Department of Biostatistics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Our mission is to develop and utilize cutting-edge statistical and computational methods to analyze complex genetic, genomic, and biomedical data.

Our Research Focus:

1. Method Development: We develop novel approaches tailored for genome-wide association studies (GWAS), DNA methylation, gene expression, and proteomic data. Our expertise spans statistical genetics, causal inference, statistical learning, machine learning, deep learning, and AI.
2. Understanding Disease Etiology: A key goal is identifying putative causal biomarkers (genes, CpG sites, proteins) to gain insights into the etiology of complex diseases like pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
3. Advancing Precision Medicine: We aim to enhance risk prediction models by integrating multi-omics data, ultimately contributing to more personalized healthcare strategies.
4. AI for Science: We are actively exploring the frontiers of Artificial Intelligence in scientific discovery. This includes developing and applying DNA foundation models for downstream tasks like gene expression and protein expression prediction, leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) to predict cancer treatment outcomes, and utilizing AI approaches for drug discovery.
5. Commitment to Reproducibility: We strongly believe in reproducible research and open science. We develop and maintain several software tools (primarily R packages) and their documentation to facilitate the use of our methods by the wider research community. Feel free to browse our research findings and check out our software resources.

Join Our Team!

We are actively seeking talented and motivated individuals to join our dynamic research environment. Our group offers opportunities to work on impactful projects at the intersection of statistics, computation, genomics, and AI.

• Graduate Research Assistant (GRA): We currently have one opening for a PhD student seeking a GRA position. We value potential over experience. We seek individuals who are: Intellectually curious problem-solvers who think outside conventional approaches; Self-directed with strong internal motivation Genuinely fascinated by AI’s potential in scientific domains; and Quick to master new skills and technologies. This position offers full tuition coverage and a standard stipend.

• Undergraduate Research (Rice University): We welcome inquiries from motivated Rice undergraduate students interested in gaining research experience in biostatistics, bioinformatics, or data science applied to genomics and cancer research. Opportunities may range from contributing to ongoing projects to developing independent research ideas under mentorship.

• Other Opportunities (PhD, MS): We are always interested in hearing from prospective PhD and Master’s students eligible to enroll through programs at UTHealth, GSBS and Rice.

Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Chong Wu ( cwu18@mdanderson.org) with their CV/resume and a brief statement outlining their research interests and relevant background.