Mengrui Zhang, Ph.D.
Mengrui’s research focuses on leveraging advanced statistical and machine-learning techniques to extract meaningful insights from complex biological datasets. Mengrui received his Ph.D. degree in Statistics from the University of Georgia in May 2022. His research interests include bioinformatics, deep learning/machine learning, statistical testing, high-dimensional data, non-parametric modeling, time series analysis, and spatial statistics. Additionally, he is also interested in developing new methods, tools, and pipelines for various kinds of biological datasets, especially in single cell, RNA-Seq, metagenomics, and proteomics to support drug discovery and development.
Clinical Area of Interest: Digital/big data health, drug development and discovery, immunogenomics and precision health
Methodology Area of Interest: Bioinformatics, Single Cell, RNA-Seq, Microbiome & Metagenomics, Deep Learning/Machine Learning, High Dimensional Data, Non-Parametric Modeling, Time Series Analysis and Spatial Statistics
Publications (Selected)
Patel, M., Post, Y., Hill, N., Sura, A., Ye, J., Fisher, T., Suen, N., Zhang, Mengrui, Cheng, L., Pribluda, A. and Chen, H., 2024. A WNT mimetic with broad spectrum FZD-specificity decreases fibrosis and improves function in a pulmonary damage model. Respiratory Research, 25(1), p.153.
Ostevik, K.L., Alabady, M., Zhang, Mengrui and Rausher, M.D., 2024. Whole-genome sequence and annotation of Penstemon davidsonii. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 14(3), p.jkad296.
Zhang, Mengrui, Chen, Y., Yu, D., Zhong, W., Zhang, J. and Ma, P., 2023. Elucidating dynamic cell lineages and gene networks in time-course single cell differentiation. Artificial Intelligence in the Life Sciences, 3, p.100068.
Zhang, J., Meng, C., Yu, J., Zhang, Mengrui, Zhong, W. and Ma, P., 2023. An optimal transport approach for selecting a representative subsample with application in efficient kernel density estimation. Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, 32(1), pp.329-339.
Kaushal, R., Peng, L., Singh, S.K., Zhang, Mengrui, Zhang, X., Vílchez, J.I., Wang, Z., He, D., Yang, Y., Lv, S. and Xu, Z., 2021. Dicer-like proteins influence Arabidopsis root microbiota independent of RNA-directed DNA methylation. Microbiome, 9, pp.1-20.
Ganzen, L., Ko, M.J., Zhang, Mengrui, Xie, R., Chen, Y., Zhang, L., James, R., Mumm, J., van Rijn, R.M., Zhong, W. and Pang, C.P., 2021. Drug screening with zebrafish visual behavior identifies carvedilol as a potential treatment for an autosomal dominant form of retinitis pigmentosa. Scientific reports, 11(1), p.11432.
Meng, C., Ke, Y., Zhang, J., Zhang, Mengrui, Zhong, W. and Ma, P., 2019. Large-scale optimal transport map estimation using projection pursuit. Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS 2019), 32.
Xie, R., Zhang, Mengrui, Venkatraman, P., Zhang, X., Zhang, G., Carmer, R., Kantola, S.A., Pang, C.P., Ma, P., Zhang, M. and Zhong, W., 2019. Normalization of large-scale behavioural data collected from zebrafish. PLOS One, 14(2), p.e0212234.