Yuji Zhang

Yuji Zhang, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology & Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Her research focuses on translational bioinformatics, leveraging multi-source biological data to uncover disease mechanisms. She leads the bioinformatics core at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center and collaborates on federally funded projects like the International Consortium for Prostate Cancer Genetics.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech
• M.S. in Bioinformatics, Southeast University, China
• B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Southeast University, China

Research Interests: Dr. Zhang develops informatics approaches for integrative analysis of high-dimensional biological data. Her work spans network medicine, systems pharmacogenomics, non-coding RNA mechanisms, and precision medicine applications. She specializes in bridging computational methods with biomedical research needs, particularly in cancer and genetic disorders.

Publication Trends: Her recent articles emphasize cancer genomics, drug repurposing, risk modeling, and translational bioinformatics, with consistent applications in prostate cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and cardiovascular genetics using multi-omics integration.

Awards:

• 2020: WIA Leadership Seed Grant (AMIA)
• 2019: Women in AMIA Merit Scholarship
• 2012: ISMB Travel Award

Grants & Leadership: As lead bioinformatician, she manages NIH-funded consortia including:

• PCTC Administrative Coordinating Center (NHLBI, $7.9M direct costs)
• CARDINAL Study on cardiometabolic disorders (NCI, $3.95M)
• Photodynamic cancer therapy development (NIBIB, $2.25M)

She co-leads labs focused on cancer bioinformatics and zebrafish genetic models.