Associate Professor Dave Zhao has been named a Conrad Professorial Scholar through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The Conrad Professorial Scholar Awards recognize exceptionally promising associate professors within the College of LAS and provide support for continued achievement in research and scholarship. The five-year designation is funded through a gift from the late Arlys Conrad (AB ’44, education).
Zhao’s research focuses on the theory and practice of using large-scale genomic data to better understand complex biological systems. In addition to his role in the Department of Statistics, he serves as Director of Computational Genomics at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, where he leads initiatives that support advanced analytics and foster collaboration between computational and biological researchers. His work includes leadership in the institute’s Spatial Omics Initiative and AI + Genomics group.
Zhao is also co-director of the annual Mayo Clinic and Illinois Alliance Computational Genomics Course, a summer workshop designed to provide clinicians and researchers with hands-on training in computational biology.
This recognition highlights Zhao’s impactful interdisciplinary research and leadership in computational genomics. The Department of Statistics congratulates him on this distinguished honor.