Established on November 16, 2018, the Department of Biostatistics at Peking University (PKU) is a pioneering, interdisciplinary department. It builds upon the robust medical and public health research at PKU Health Science Center, integrating the profound expertise in mathematics, statistical theory, and methods from the School of Mathematical Sciences and the Beijing International Center for Mathematical Research. A collaborative initiative of these three entities and housed within the School of Public Health, it is the first department in China to formally bridge the fields of mathematics and public health. The department is led by its founding chair, Professor Zhou Xiaohua.
The mission of the Department of Biostatistics is to cultivate innovative, versatile talents equipped to master statistical theory and apply it to the forefront of biomedical research. We are dedicated to advancing biostatistics at Peking University, contributing to the university’s “Double First-Class” initiative, and pioneering the application of biostatistical methodologies in translational medicine, precision medicine, and big data research. Our primary research areas include clinical trials, medical big data analytics, causal inference, diagnostic medicine, precision medicine, and statistical genetics.
Biostatistics is the science of applying statistics, probability theory, mathematics, and computational methods to analyze biomedical data, quantify and manage uncertainty, and deepen our understanding of biomedical sciences. Its role is to enable more rigorous experimental design, efficiently analyze data, reduce experimental costs and timelines, and accelerate the discovery of optimal solutions and predictive models. As biomedical research becomes increasingly data-driven, biostatistics has become indispensable. The *New England Journal of Medicine* recognized its profound impact by naming it the fourth most significant milestone in medicine over the past 500 years.
The establishment of the Department of Biostatistics at PKU is a landmark achievement with significant and lasting implications for cultivating high-caliber, interdisciplinary biostatistics talent in China. The Department fosters extensive collaboration with other departments across the School of Public Health, the School of Mathematical Sciences, and the Beijing International Center for Mathematical Research. By strengthening partnerships with clinical hospitals, we ensure our research is grounded in real-world clinical challenges. This synergy not only drives innovation in statistical methodology but also empowers clinicians with a more robust methodological foundation.
With a vision rooted in China and a global outlook, the Department of Biostatistics is committed to integrating PKU’s vast domestic and international resources to elevate China’s biostatistics discipline to world-class standing.
Faculty and Research
Our distinguished faculty comprises 12 professors and associate professors. We are actively recruiting outstanding faculty members and postdoctoral researchers from across the globe. For more information, please follow our official WeChat account: “Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University.”
· Zhou Xiaohua: Liberal Arts Chair Professor, Department Chair, Doctoral Supervisor
o Research: Development and application of statistical methods in medical diagnostic trials, randomized clinical trials, causal inference, medical big data, missing data, brain science, health economics, health services, and traditional Chinese medicine research.
· Geng Zhi: Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Co-director, Center for Statistical Sciences, PKU
o Research: Causal inference, mathematical statistics, biomedical statistics, causal networks, Bayesian networks, graphical models.
· Fang Xiangzhong: Professor, Doctoral Supervisor
o Research: Applied statistics, reliability.
· Deng Minghua: Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Deputy Director, Department of Probability and Statistics, School of Mathematical Sciences
o Research: Bioinformatics.
· Ai Mingyao: Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Director, Department of Probability and Statistics, School of Mathematical Sciences
o Research: Experimental design and analysis, computer experiments, high-dimensional analysis, applied statistics.
· Wang Hong: Professor, Master’s Supervisor
o Research: Epidemiology of mental disorders, genetic epidemiology of cleft lip and palate.
· Zhang Lei: Tenured Associate Professor, Master’s Supervisor
o Research: Large-scale scientific computing, mathematical modeling, computational materials, computational biology.
· Ge Hao: Tenured Associate Professor, Doctoral Supervisor
o Research: Intersections of stochastic processes and statistics with physics, chemistry, and biology.
· Jia Jinzhu: Associate Professor, Doctoral Supervisor
o Research: Biostatistics, high-dimensional statistical inference, big data analysis, statistical machine learning, causal inference.
· He Yangbo: Associate Professor
o Research: Statistics, financial mathematics.
· Xi Ruibin: Researcher, Doctoral Supervisor
o Research: Biostatistics, genomics, and bioinformatics.
· Lin Wei: Researcher, Doctoral Supervisor
o Research: High-dimensional statistics, machine learning, causal inference, compositional data analysis, survival analysis, statistical genetics and genomics.
· Zhang Yunjun: Associate Professor
o Research: Bayesian statistics, viral transmission and evolutionary dynamics, complex data analysis.
· Liang Baosheng: Assistant Professor
o Research: Biostatistics, statistical inference for semiparametric models, nonparametric statistics, statistical learning algorithms.
· Hou Yan: Assistant Professor
o Research: Screening and prediction models for complex diseases, AI-driven drug repositioning, clinical trial design and analysis.
Teaching & Research
· Undergraduate Courses: Health Statistics, Probability and Statistics, Mathematical Statistics.
· Graduate Courses: Fundamentals of Medical Statistics, Biostatistics, Applied Linear Regression.
Our faculty lead and participate in numerous major research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation.
Contact Us
Office: 2nd Floor, New Public Health Building, Peking University Health Science Center
Phone: +86-10-82802690 (Administrative Office)
Website: http://biostat.pku.edu.cn
WeChat: Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University
