Wenpin Hou

Research Interests

As an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Biostatistics and an affiliated member of the Data Science Institute at Columbia University, Dr. Wenpin Hou is dedicated to advancing statistical machine learning methods. Her research focuses on:

Single-cell genomics, epigenomics, and spatial transcriptomics.
Mathematical modeling of gene regulatory networks.
Application of Generative Pre-trained Transformer models in genomics.

Awards and Recognition

Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (R35) from NIH/NIGMS in September 2023.
NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from NIH/NHGRI in March 2021.

Collaborations

Dr. Hou collaborates across diverse fields, including cancer, immunology, infectious diseases, and more. She is part of the ENCODE4 consortium and is contributing to single-cell analysis.

Education and Training

Dr. Hou earned her Ph.D. in Mathematics from The University of Hong Kong, where she was a recipient of University Postgraduate Fellowships and Postgraduate Scholarship. Before joining Columbia, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Biostatistics, mentored by Drs. Stephanie Hicks, Hongkai Ji, Andy Feinberg, focusing on developing computational methods for inferring single-cell DNA methylation and its spatial landscape, and Department of Computer Science mentored by Drs. Suchi Saria and Aravinda Chakravarti.

For Prospective Students

She is currently seeking PhD students eager to contribute to innovative research projects on genomics. If you are interested, please directly apply through SOPHAS Application System and list her name as your preferred mentor. All applications will be reviewed. You will be invited for an interview if the committee thinks you could be a good fit for the department’s program.

If you are interested in a research position (e.g. research assistant, visiting student, practicum), please send her your CV and research interest.

Columbia News about Wenpin