Abstract

Globally, infectious diseases are one of the primary causes of mortality and morbidity. Designing and implementing public health interventions require an understanding of disease transmission. Advances in sequencing technology have produced large samples of pathogen genomes, which have the potential to provide molecular evidence of disease transmission. Dr. Chang’s work applies population genomic tools and infectious disease models to understand the spread of pathogens. In this talk, she will show examples of how genomics and mathematical models can be used to understand pathogen spread and evolution, and how these understandings can help with disease control.

Bio.

Hsiao-Han Chang is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan. She holds a Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University, with a background in statistics. Her research focuses on population genomics, infectious disease epidemiology, and pathogen evolution. Chang has received several awards, including the 2023 EMBO Global Investigator and the 2019 Yushan Young Scholar. Notable publications include studies on dengue virus evolution, malaria parasite gene flow, and the impact of COVID-19 preventive measures on disease transmission.

All faculty and students are welcome to join.