The Duke Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics is excited to announce the promotion of three faculty members. Elizabeth Hauser, PhD, Professor, has been named program director of the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics PhD. Program, effective July 1. Jian Pei, PhD, Arthur S. Pearse Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, has been named chair of the Duke Department of Computer Science, effective July 1. Anru Zhang, PhD, Eugene Anson Stead, Jr., MD Associate Professor, has been named associate chair for research, effective May 1.
Hauser, who began working with the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics PhD program in 2002, is excited to now be leading the program. “I have been a member of CBB since the beginning and am very proud of the achievements of the almost 80 CBB graduates. In my new role as director, I am looking forward to learning how to best train the next 80-plus graduates,” Hauser said. “The CBB faculty have done a wonderful job taking the core CBB concepts and building on them to train outstanding scientists in a huge variety of research areas.”
“The Executive Committee is hard at work reviewing the curriculum, thinking about innovative professional development, and preparing for recruiting season. It will be a busy year, but we have enthusiastic faculty, staff and students, and working with them is all part of the excitement,” Hauser said.
She began her tenure at Duke in 1998 and has held numerous faculty positions within the Department of Medicine, the Department of Statistical Sciences, the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, as well as within the School of Nursing. Hauser also served as chief of the Division of Medical Genetics and the director of the Center for Human Genetics. Hauser is currently a member of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute and an educator in the Human Genetics and Genomics Program for third-year medical students.
Pei expressed his excitement and gratitude about being named chair of the Department of Computer Science earlier this year. To read more about his extensive background and journey within the Duke Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Computer Science department, click here.
Zhang joined Duke as a visiting professor in 2020, and he was promoted to associate professor in 2021 in four departments: the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, the Department of Statistical Sciences, the Department of Computer Science, and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is also a member of the Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) Methods Core.
In his role as associate chair for research, Zhang is responsible for maintaining scientific integrity and research standards within the department. “I'm feeling nervous, humbled, and grateful for the opportunity to take on these duties,” he said. Zhang’s specific duties include ensuring that the department is compliant with current training requirements, promoting research policies, safeguarding data quality, overseeing management plans issued by the Duke Office of Scientific Integrity, supporting faculty research development and collaborations, and fostering a positive research environment.