Jingjie Hao - Director of the Biomedical and Obesity Research Core
Research Assistant Professor
In my role as Director, I oversee the day-to-day operations of BORC and act as the primary contact for biostatistics coordinators associated with the core. I also serve as the main point of contact for core users, offering guidance on experimental design. Throughout my research career, I have focused on investigating plant root-associated microbiomes and exploring their molecular interactions with host plants. My work has involved a wide range of techniques, including transcriptome analysis, DNA methylome studies, root exudate metabolite profiling, and microbe metagenome assembly. I have managed and led a comprehensive soil microbiome project in maize, from initial planning to final data analysis. Additionally, I have expertise in generating high-quality 16S rRNA sequencing libraries and MiSeq data for microbial community analysis. I have conducted research on strigolactones biosynthesis and plant-microbe interactions in sorghum using the CRISPR/Cas9 system to induce targeted and heritable mutations of genes. Moreover, I have conducted in-depth investigation on the intricate mechanisms by which microbes influence root functions, focusing on the maize root transcriptome. Over the course of my career, I have honed my skills in molecular biology techniques, data analysis, and experimental design. Moreover, I have gained valuable experience in supervising and advising staff and students, fostering their professional growth and ensuring the smooth operation of research projects.
Réka Howard - Biostatistics Coordinator
Associate Professor and Director of Consulting
I am a faculty member in the Department of Statistics, and I serve as the Director of the Statistical Cross-disciplinary Collaboration and Consulting Lab (SC3L) at UNL. My research primarily focuses on developing advanced statistical methods for genomic prediction, and the application of statistical methods in plant breeding. Recently, I have been dedicated to optimizing statistical techniques for genomic prediction and enhancing models for integrating multi-type data in this context. Leading the SC3L, I engage in collaborative projects with fellow faculty members and students at UNL, offering expertise in experimental design, model development, and statistical analysis. In addition to working closely with professionals in fields such as agronomy, animal science, food science, entomology, and engineering, I also mentor statistics students in consulting practices and collaborative research. I mainly teach courses in the areas of statistical consulting, statistical methods including design of experiments, linear models, mixed models, and generalized mixed models.
I am excited to actively contribute to the Nebraska Center for the Prevention of Obesity Diseases where I provide valuable assistance in experimental design and data analysis. My expertise in design of experiments, linear models, mixed models, and generalized mixed models enables me to support members in all stages of their research, from grant preparation to data interpretation.
Indranil Mukhopadhyay - Biostatistics Coordinator
Professor
I am a professor in the Department of Statistics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. My research experience spans over thirty years in different areas of statistics. My main interest lies in the development of novel and powerful statistical methods, mostly in relation to specific research problems. With a background in mathematical statistics, I explored various real-life problems, especially in the area of genetics. In this connection I have developed a few methods for integrating different types of genetic data under a single statistical framework and contributed significantly to multi-loci genetic association study. My philosophy of statistical analysis is to look at the problem first and then try to develop the statistical method that would be most appropriate in that scenario. Experience gained from my collaboration with other scientists from disciplines like biology, genetics, chemistry etc. has ideally positioned me to get involved in NPOD, UNL. For nearly thirty years I have been teaching several courses in statistics at different levels including workshops and training programs. With proficiency in R programming, I have been teaching and working in areas like generalized linear model, time series analysis, unsupervised machine learning, statistical genetics, statistical inference, categorical data analysis, probability theory, multivariate analysis etc.
Hongfeng Yu - Computational Coordinator
Director of Holland Computing Center
Associate Professor
I am interested in studying novel solutions to the problem of analyzing, visualizing, and communicating data at high interactivity and fidelity. This research effort has led to a number of new scalable algorithms and systems by exploiting high-performance parallel supercomputers and commodity programmable graphics hardware. These technologies have helped scientists from several universities and national laboratories obtain accurate and efficient visualizations for tera- and peta-scale applications, such as medical image processing, turbulent combustion, earthquake simulations, supernova evolution, climate simulations, biological analyses, environmental study, and so on. As the director of the Holland Computing Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, my expertise is essential for addressing key data computing requirements for the Nebraska Center for the Prevention of Obesity Diseases through Dietary Molecules.
