Shuangjie Zhang | University of Texas at Austin

Welcome! I am currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Statistics and Data Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, working with Dr. Yang Ni.

Previously, I was a postdoctoral research associate at Texas A&M University with Dr. Yang Ni and Dr. Bani K. Mallick. I received my Ph.D. in Statistical Science from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2024, advised by Dr. Juhee Lee. I earned my M.S. in Statistical Science from Duke University and my B.S. in Statistics from the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.

My research interests include:

High-dimensional modeling
Causal Discovery
Bayesian nonparametrics
Applications to high-throughput sequencing data

In Progress

Ok, S., Zhang, S., & Ni, Y. Bayesian Longitudinal Microbiome Interaction Analysis. (In progress)
Zhang, S., Mallick, B., & Ni, Y. Generalized Bayes Compositional Directed Acyclic Graph. (In progress)

Preprints

Zheng, H.# Zhang, S.#, Sen, R., & Tokdar, S. T. Bayesian Semiparametric Density Regression with Discontinuity. (# denotes equal contribution)
Zhang, S., Patnode, M., & Lee, J. Covariate Dependent Factor Model for Feature Interactions in Microbiome Study.
Tokdar, S. T., Sen, R., Zheng, H., & Zhang, S. (2025). Density discontinuity regression. arxiv:2507.05581.

Publications

Zhang, S., Shen, Y., Chen, I. A., & Lee, J. (2023). Bayesian modeling of interaction between features in sparse multivariate count data with application to microbiome study. The Annals of Applied Statistics, 17(3).
Zhang, S., Shen, Y., Chen, I. A., & Lee, J. (2025). Sparse Bayesian Group Factor model for feature interactions in multiple count tables data. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 120(550), 723–736.

Talks and Posters

Invited Talks
- 2025 International Indian Statistical Association Conference, Lincoln, NE (June 2025)
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Statistics, Lincoln, NE (Nov 2024)
- ISBA Biostatistics and Pharmaceutical Section Webinar Series, Virtual (July 2024)
Contributed Talks
- Texas A&M Stat Cafe, College Station, TX (Sep 2024)
- 2024 Joint Statistical Meetings, Portland, OR (Aug 2024)
- 2023 Joint Statistical Meetings, Toronto, ON, Canada (Aug 2023)
Posters
- 14th International Conference on Bayesian Nonparametrics, Los Angeles, CA (June 2025)
- The 2022 Objective Bayes Methodology Conference, Santa Cruz, CA (Sep 2022)

Software

Sp-BGFM: R package for Sparse Bayesian Group Factor Model for Feature Interactions in Multiple Count Tables Data.
Zi-MLN: R package for the Zero Inflated Multivariate rounded Log Normal Model.

Awards and Honors

BNP 14 Travel Award, BNP 14 UCLA, 2025
SFASA JSM Student Travel Award, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the ASA, 2023
UCSC Dean’s Travel Award, University of California Santa Cruz, 2023
UCSC Regent Fellowship, University of California Santa Cruz, 2020
National Student Scholarship, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, 2015

Teaching and Mentoring

Teaching Assistant
- STAT 132 Classical and Bayesian Inference, UC Santa Cruz (Winter 2023)
- STAT 131 Introduction to Probability Theory, UC Santa Cruz (Summer 2022, Spring 2023)
- STAT 5 Statistics, UC Santa Cruz (6 quarters, 2019-2022)
- STA 601 Bayesian Methods and Modern Statistics, Duke University (Fall 2018)
Mentoring
- Seoyeon Ok, Ph.D. student in Statistics, Texas A&M University (Fall 2024 - Present)
  - Co-advised with Dr. Yang Ni on the project Bayesian Longitudinal Microbiome Interaction Analysis.

Academic Service

Session Chair, Contributed Session, 2025 International Indian Statistical Association (IISA) Conference
Session Chair, Contributed Session, 2023 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM)
Certified through a professional development program titled “Preparing For Inclusive Teaching In STEM”
Member of the American Statistical Association (ASA) and the International Society for Bayesian Analysis (ISBA)
Reviewer for Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, Biostatistics, and The Annals of Applied Statistics

MISC

My free time is mostly split among restful swimming, watching tennis (fan of Novak Djokovic), and playing chess. I played chess since I was 6, and obtained level of Candidate Master before 10. I regularly play chess online to have a mind ‘spa’. I also like traveling, and some great landscapes are here.