Marepalli Rao

Marepalli B. Rao is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Health at the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine. He holds an Emeritus Professor title at North Dakota State University (NDSU), where he served from 1987–2003. His academic journey includes roles as Visiting Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and Lecturer at the University of Sheffield. Rao earned his B.S. and M.S. in Statistics from Madras University and a Ph.D. in Statistics from the Indian Statistical Institute.

His research focuses on statistical methodologies with applications in bioinformatics, biostatistics, epidemiology, and genetic studies. Notable areas include damage models, survival analysis, and statistical genetics. Rao has contributed to over 200 peer-reviewed publications and serves on several editorial boards. His work often intersects with clinical and public health challenges, such as asthma epidemiology and environmental exposure analysis.

Rao has led or collaborated on numerous grants, including NIH-funded studies on statistical genomics, tissue engineering, and pediatric allergy research. He has held leadership roles in academic committees and has mentored numerous Ph.D. students. His expertise in statistical design and analysis is applied across disciplines, from biomedical engineering to environmental health.