Education
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
M.S., Biostatistics
Southwest University
B.S., Biological Sciences
Experience
Cedars-Sinai, Casero Lab | Research Intern
UCLA, Pellegrini Lab | Graduate Student Researcher
UCLA, Gao Lab | Graduate Student Researcher
About Me
I’m a UCLA grad student exploring the exciting fields of biostatistics, computational biology, and epigenetics while pursuing my MS in Biostatistics at the Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA. My research explores gene expression patterns across epigenomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic levels, using statistical models to uncover biomarkers, elaborate biological mechanisms, and build predictive models related to aging, vaccines, and diseases, especially in the context of epigenetic regulation.
I’m passionate about mathematical and statistical methods for genetic analysis to push the boundaries of epigenetic research and contribute to the future of vaccine development and precision medicine.
Research Interests
- Epigenetics: Investigating dynamics of quintessential epigenomic biomarkers during lifespan. Studying the impact of DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA on gene expression regulation and cellular signaling pathways.
- Statistical Genetics: Modeling gene expression patterns across epigenomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic levels by linear or nonlinear methods and identifying biomarkers to build predictive models related to age, vaccines, and chronic diseases.
- Bioinformatics: Developing computational tools to map CpG sites to methylation patterns and optimizing algorithms for efficiently vetting into high-throughput sequencing data purposes.
Highlights
Influenza Vaccination Impact on DNA Methylation in UGA6 Cohort: Identified key epigenetic regulators of immune responses to influenza vaccination in a large cohort study, uncovering the RIG‐I signaling pathway’s role in vaccine-induced immunity through integrated DNA methylation, RNA-seq, and cytokine analyses.
Nonlinear Aging Dynamics in Co-methylation Network: Unveiled the critical role of non-linear co-methylation dynamics in aging by mapping epigenetic changes to gene networks and biological pathways, providing novel insights into age-related processes beyond linear models.
Inferring immune histories from SARS-CoV-2 RNA-seq data: Developed a pipeline to infer immune histories from SARS-CoV-2 RNA-seq data, linking immune profiling to personalized responses.
Lymphocyte Regeneration after Thymocyte Damage in Zebrafish: Uncovered the pivotal role of the CXCL12/CXCR4 pathway in thymic lymphocyte regeneration, revealing stem cell migration as a key mechanism for immune recovery.
Let’s Connect
In the free time, you can find me hiking or exploring new cruises. I am a music enthusiast, always on the lookout for new tunes to add to my playlist. I also recently started my interest in the tiki world and am excited to learn more about tiki culture and cocktails.
Feel free to explore my CV or reach out via:
- Email: jiachenai@ucla.edu
- LinkedIn: Jiachen Ai
Alaska
Ketchikan
Canada
Glacial lake
Seattle
Starbucks Reserve Roastery
Princess Cruise
Journey to Alaska