Han Chen

Han Chen, PhD, is a Professor at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. His research interests include public health data science, statistical genetics and genetic epidemiology, with a special focus on identifying genetic and non-genetic risk factors for chronic cardiometabolic and neurodegenerative conditions in multi-ancestry populations.

Prof. Chen has served as the Principal Investigator on multiple NIH-funded research projects. He developed statistical and computational methods for large-scale sequencing studies, as well as methods and software for large-scale gene-environment interaction studies. His software tools, such as Generalized linear Mixed Model Association Tests (GMMAT), Mixed-model Association tests for Gene-Environment interactions (MAGEE) and Gene-Environment interaction analysis for Millions of samples (GEM), have been widely used in Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) and Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) consortia. He is currently developing efficient identity-by-descent mapping methods and tools for high-dimensional brain imaging endophenotypes derived from deep learning algorithms. He is a co-convener of the TOPMed Blood Pressure Working Group.

Prior to joining the faculty at NYU Meyers, Chen was a tenured Associate Professor in theHuman Genetics Center, Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston). He was also a Regular Faculty Member in the Quantitative Science and Genetics & Epigenetics programs in the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS).