Dr. Patrick Zhao's Laboratory

The Zhao lab develops innovative bioinformatics methods, web servers, and biological databases to facilitate fundamental and applied life science research. The team applies computer and information science, statistical pattern recognition, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) technologies to study genome annotation, gene expression and regulation, sequence-structure-function relationship, and applications such as genomic prediction for plant breeding.

• Advancing bioinformatics, computational biology for basic and applied plant science research.
• Advancing and deploying data science, statistical genetics, and AI/ML in prediction-based plant breeding.

• Artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) in genomic prediction
• Genotype-phenotype (G2P) association discovery via integrative genome-scale biological network & genome-wide association analysis
• Gene expression, regulation, and network biology
• Novel gene discovery and gene function annotation
• Comparative ‘omics’ and biological database development
• Applications in systems biology of small regulatory RNAs, signaling peptides, membrane transport proteins, and enzymes involved in various aspects of plant biology

List of published online tools, web servers, and digital resources: