Xiuquan Wang

I am Xiuquan Wang, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Mathematics, the H. M. Thompson Endowed Chair in Mathematics, and Chair of the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science at Tougaloo College.

My research lies at the intersection of applied mathematics, computational biology, machine learning, and biomedical data science. I develop mathematical and computational approaches to extract biological information from high-dimensional and large-scale datasets, with an emphasis on interpretable methods and biologically meaningful analysis.

My current research focuses on three interconnected areas:

• RNA velocity and cellular dynamics: Developing computational methods to evaluate RNA velocity embeddings, characterize cell-state transitions, and investigate cellular dynamics.
• Nanopore sequencing and machine learning: Developing mathematical and machine-learning approaches to extract biological information from long-read sequencing data.
• Large-scale biological network analysis: Applying graph-based methods to investigate cellular relationships, network structure, and biological heterogeneity.

I lead and collaborate on externally funded research projects, including an NSF HBCU-UP Research Initiation Award, an NSF HBCU-UP Implementation Project, and an MS-INBRE Project Development Grant. My research integrates methodological development with applications in biomedical data science and provides research opportunities for undergraduate students.

I am committed to research-integrated teaching and student mentoring. My students have received awards at national and regional research conferences and have pursued advanced study in data science, biostatistics, and related STEM disciplines.

In addition to my faculty appointment, I serve as a Visiting Data Scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute.

My long-term research goal is to develop robust, interpretable mathematical and computational methods that advance our understanding of complex biological systems while preparing students for graduate education and research careers.