University of Miami

Multi-omics Integration and Statistical Learning for Precision Biomedicine

Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Public Health Sciences

I develop computational and statistical methods for biomarker discovery across neurodegenerative disease and cancer. My work integrates genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenetic data to improve prediction quality and biological interpretability.

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Peer-reviewed papers

Active research tracks

Core method interests

Research Projects

Method-driven and disease-focused projects, spanning model design to translational validation.

Multivariate Random Forest for Multi-omics Integration

A random forest framework for integrated prediction and biomarker discovery across multiple omics modalities.

R Method Development Random Forest

Code Project Page

Epigenetic Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s and Cognitive Health

Discovery and validation of blood-based DNA methylation signatures predictive of incident dementia in longitudinal cohorts.

Longitudinal Data DNA Methylation Statistical Modeling

Project Page

Prediction Models for Cancer Biomarkers

Transcriptome-based models for chemotherapy response using matched colorectal tumor-organoid expression profiles.

Oncology WGCNA Meta-analysis

Selected Publications

Selected works sorted by publication year (newest to oldest).

An Integrative Multi-Omics Random Forest Framework for Robust Biomarker Discovery

GigaScience, Dec 2025

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The Aging Epigenome: Integrative Analyses Reveal Functional Overlap with Alzheimer's Disease

medRxiv Preprint, Jun 2025

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DNA Methylation Signature of a Lifestyle-based Resilience Index for Cognitive Health

Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, Apr 2025

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Blood DNA methylation signature for incident dementia: Evidence from longitudinal cohorts

Alzheimer’s & Dementia, Mar 2025

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Enhancing chemotherapy response prediction via matched colorectal tumor-organoid gene expression analysis

Translational Oncology, Feb 2025

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Critical evaluation of the reliability of DNA methylation probes on the Illumina MethylationEPIC v1.0 BeadChip microarrays

Epigenetics, Dec 2024

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Distinct CSF biomarker-associated DNA methylation in Alzheimer’s disease and cognitively normal subjects

Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, Apr 2023

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Presentations

Selected oral and poster presentations (newest to oldest).

Multivariate Random Forest-Based Clustering for Integrative Multi-Omics Analysis ASA Florida Chapter Meeting · Contributed Talk · Mar 2026 · Miami, FL, USA.
An Integrative Multi-Omics Random Forest Framework for Robust Biomarker Discovery STATGEN: Conference on Statistics in Genomics and Genetics · Contributed Talk · May 2025 · Minneapolis, MN, USA.
An X chromosome-wide DNA methylation study of Alzheimers disease AAIC · Poster · Jul 2024.
Unlocking the potential of multi-omics data integration using multivariate random forest approach International Biometric Society ENAR Annual Meeting · Contributed Talk · Mar 2024 · Baltimore, MD, USA.
Distinct CSF biomarker-associated DNA methylation in Alzheimer’s disease and cognitively normal subjects AAIC · Poster · Jul 2023.
Iterative Multivariate Random Forest for Feature Selection in Integrating Multi-Omics Datasets ASA Florida Chapter Meeting · Poster · Mar 2023 · Gainesville, FL, USA.

Education

Ph.D. in Biostatistics, University of Miami Aug 2024 · Advisor: Chen, X. Steven, Ph.D. · Dissertation on integrative multi-omics random forest.
M.S. in Statistics, The George Washington University May 2019
B.S. in Economics Analysis & Actuarial Math, SUNY Binghamton May 2017

Contact

Miami, FL · Open to research collaborations in computational biology and statistical methodology.

wei.zhang60@med.miami.edu GitHub Google Scholar ResearchGate LinkedIn