Dr. Zhandong Liu is a leading researcher in computational systems biology, dedicated to advancing the understanding of neurological diseases through the integration of computer science, statistics, and genomics. His research interests span transcription regulation, disease gene prioritization, and the application of deep learning to complex biological data. By employing advanced statistical methods and graphical models, he integrates diverse multi-omics data to decipher molecular mechanisms in the brain. Most recently, his work has centered on developing AI-powered diagnostic tools—such as AI-MARRVEL—to solve diagnostic odysseys for undiagnosed rare genetic disorders and defining cellular heterogeneity in neurodegeneration.
Dr. Liu joined the Neurological Research Institute at Baylor College of Medicine in 2010. He earned his Ph.D. in Genomics and Computational Biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010, completing his dissertation, “The quantitative prediction of signal pathway activity through genome-wide gene expression data,” under the advisement of Dr. Lewis A. Chodosh. Prior to his doctoral studies, he received an M.S. in Computer Science from Wayne State University in 2004, where he was mentored by Dr. Sorin Draghici, and completed his undergraduate studies in Computer Science at Nankai University in 2001.