Dr. Sihai Zhao

Associate Professor

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Biography

Sihai Dave Zhao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, serving as the Director of Computational Genomics at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. He has held this position since 2020 and was previously an Assistant Professor in the same department from 2014 to 2020. His research focuses on statistical genomics, high-dimensional statistics, and survival analysis. As a faculty member at the Carl R. Woese Institute, he has been involved in various projects related to gene networks in neural development and plasticity since 2014, as well as contributions to computing genomes in reproductive health. He completed his postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology & Statistics Department from 2012 to 2014. With a solid educational background, he earned his PhD and A.M. in Biostatistics and Statistics, respectively, from Harvard University in 2012 and 2007, and received an A.B. in Chemistry Physics from Harvard in 2007.

Research Interests

Experience

Associate Professor

— Present

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • Champaign, IL

Teaching and research in the field of statistics, with a focus on Computational Genomics.

Assistant Professor

— Present

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • Champaign, IL

Conducted research and taught courses in the Department of Statistics.

Postdoctoral researcher

— Present

University of Pennsylvania • Philadelphia, PA

Researched in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology & Statistics.

Requirements for University of Illinois

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:17
Reading
Required:19
Writing
Required:21
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:103
GRE General
Prerequisites
Mathematical background Linear Algebra Calculus
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • 3 Letters of Recommendation
  • Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Resume/CV
Specialization Notes

GRE is optional for admission to all graduate programs in Statistics. Full status admission requires higher language scores than limited status.