Wenpin Hou

Research Interests

As an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at School of Medicine, Dr. Wenpin Hou develops AI and statistical methods to decode gene regulatory programs from single-cell and spatial multiomics data. Her research aims to characterize developmental processes, uncover regulatory alterations in complex human diseases, and identify actionable targets for therapeutic intervention.

Her group focuses on developing:

Statistical models for temporal and spatial dynamics in single-cell and spatial omics data
Computational methods for inferring DNA methylation and its spatial landscape
Foundation models for modeling gene regulatory activity
Generative pre-trained transformer approaches for biomedical applications (e.g., image analysis, genomics Q&A)

Prior to joining Duke, Dr. Hou was an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Biostatistics and an affiliated member of the Data Science Institute. She currently maintains an academic affiliation with Columbia.

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 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: A Mathematician Uses AI to Find Meaning in Genomic Data

Columbia News about Wenpin’s Work: AI Comes of Age

Wenpin was Awarded 2025 Mentor of the Year at Columbia University Irving Medical Center