Admitted to the CSI PhD Program

I’m thrilled to share that I have been admitted to the Computer Science and Informatics (CSI) PhD program at Emory University!

Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of working as a Bioinformatics Analyst in the ENCORE group at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. During that time, I’ve deepened my expertise in transcriptomic and spatial data analysis, collaborated on NIH‐funded projects, and contributed to cutting‐edge research on Alzheimer’s and Fragile X Syndrome. Now, I’m excited to take the next step in my academic journey by joining the CSI program, where I’ll explore the interface of quantitative methods and translational science.

What’s Next

• Coursework & rotations: I’ll be diving into advanced biostatistics and clinical research seminars alongside rotations in Emory’s clinical departments.
• Research focus: My dissertation will center on integrating multimodal transcriptomic data to uncover biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases.
• Collaboration: I look forward to partnering with faculty across the School of Medicine, seeing how computational methods can drive bench-to-bedside discoveries.

Acknowledgments

I’m deeply grateful to:

• Jennifer and the ISSS team for guiding me through my STEM OPT transition.
• My mentors, Dr. Qin and Dr. Wrobel, for their invaluable advice on spatial transcriptomics and statistical modeling.
• The ENCORE lab for a supportive research environment that prepared me for this opportunity.

Looking Ahead

This fall, I’ll officially begin my journey as a CSI PhD student. I’m eager to learn, collaborate, and contribute to translational research that bridges data science and patient care. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way—here’s to the next chapter!

— Ximing