Ziyue Gao

Dr. Ziyue Gao serves as Assistant Professor of Genetics at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and is a member of the Penn Center for Global Genomics and Health Equity. Her computational genetics research investigates human evolutionary processes through genomic data analysis.

Education:

• Bachelor in Biological Sciences, Tsinghua University (2010)
• Bachelor in Economics, Tsinghua University (2010)
• PhD in Genetics, University of Chicago (2015)
• Postdoctoral Researcher, Stanford University (2015-2020)

Research Interests:

The Gao Lab focuses on three interconnected domains: mutation genesis and accumulation (germline/somatic mutagenesis mechanisms), genetic architecture of complex traits (evolutionary modeling of human phenotypes), and natural selection impacts (purifying/balancing/stabilizing selection across evolutionary scenarios). Her team integrates comparative genomics, cancer genetics, and developmental biology data through computational frameworks to analyze modern and ancient genomic datasets.

Publication Trends: Dr. Gao's 2013-2019 publications reveal consistent emphasis on mutation rate dynamics (particularly maternal age effects), ancient DNA analysis of population history (e.g., Roman Empire genetic admixture), and methodological innovations for detecting natural selection. Her work frequently appears in high-impact journals including Science, PNAS, and PLoS Biology, demonstrating interdisciplinary approaches combining statistical modeling with large-scale genomic evidence.

Laboratory: The Gao Lab operates within the Department of Genetics ecosystem, participating in Penn's Biomedical Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Programs. It maintains active collaboration with the Penn Center for Global Genomics and Health Equity, focusing on health disparity research through evolutionary genomics frameworks.