Lior Rennert

Lior Rennert serves as Associate Dean for Health Sciences in the College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences at Clemson University, where he is also an Associate Professor of Biostatistics in the Department of Public Health Sciences and Founding Director of the Clemson Center for Public Health Modeling and Response. He earned his Ph.D. in Biostatistics from the University of Pennsylvania (2018), MS in Statistics from the University of Chicago (2011), and BS in Mathematics from Pennsylvania State University (2009).

Dr. Rennert's research focuses on developing data-driven approaches to guide health-related decision making, with particular expertise in infectious disease modeling, opioid epidemic analysis, and statistical methodology. His work spans multiple domains including public health policy, neurodegenerative disease research, and health equity initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led Clemson's Public Health Strategy team to provide data analytics and guide university policy.

His publication record shows a strong trajectory in public health modeling, with recent work emphasizing real-time outbreak detection, opioid surveillance, and mobile health interventions. The research demonstrates a clear evolution from methodological statistical work to applied public health solutions with direct policy implications, particularly in infectious disease control and substance use disorder management.

• Clemson University Junior Researcher of the Year (2021)
• Clemson University College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences: Award of Excellence in Research - Emerging Scholar (2021)
• Clemson University Data and Analytics Working Group Standout Project of the Year (2021)
• Data Access, Transparency and Advocacy Group: COVID-19 Data Hero Award Nominee (2021)
• Clemson University College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences: Award of Excellence in Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring (2020)
• W. Edwards Deming Student Scholar Award in Applied Statistics (2017)

Dr. Rennert has secured approximately $30 million in funding as principal investigator from the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His projects aim to develop a statewide network for real-time opioid and infectious disease outbreak detection, forecasting, and coordinating emergency health response. He has mentored numerous graduate students, with several listed as first authors on publications. The Clemson Center for Public Health Modeling and Response, which he founded, serves as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration between state health departments, health systems, community partners, and academic institutions to integrate research into practice and improve health outcomes across South Carolina and the nation.