Since the completion of the Human Genome Project, researchers across the world have been generating enormous genomic datasets to better understand the genetic bases of human diseases, develop more targeted therapies, and improve the success rate of clinical trials. However, until recently, it was challenging for researchers to manage the ever-expanding volume of digital data generated. The solution to this challenge lies in data science. Thanks to recent progress in big data analytics, scientists can now handle large amounts of genomic data much more quickly, much more accurately, and at a greatly reduced cost. 

A pioneer in data science and its applications in genetics and genomics is Professor Can Yang, who was named Dr Tai-chin Lo Associate Professor of Science. This Named Professorship was established to support the early career development and teaching mission of outstanding young faculty members at HKUST, as perfectly exemplified by Professor Yang.  

In 2011, Professor Yang graduated from HKUST with a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Just a year later, his contribution to computational and statistical methods in genomic data analysis earned him the 2012 Hong Kong Young Scientist Award for Engineering Science. After advancing his research career at Yale University in the U.S., followed by Hong Kong Baptist University, he returned to HKUST in 2017 to take up the post of Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics. In 2023, he received The Hong Kong Mathematical Society Young Scholar Award and The School Research Award (School of Science, HKUST) for his excellent research performance. 

Professor Yang’s career has gone from strength to strength. In the last few years, he has obtained several grants from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council and the Natural Science Foundation to lead projects aimed at developing novel statistical and computational approaches for constructing polygenic risk scores, fine-mapping causal variants, and interpreting their functional roles in a cellular context. His pioneering computational and statistical methods of large-scale genomic data analysis, with a focus on East Asian populations, have facilitated large-scale knowledge transfer and have been widely adopted in commercial settings.  

As well as appearing in high-impact journals such as PNAS, Nature Machine Intelligence, Nature Computational Science, and Nature Communications, Professor Yang’s research at HKUST has directly contributed to high-tech economic impact and skills upgrading in leading-edge fields in the Greater Bay Area—from machine learning methodology development to real genetic data analysis in the multiple-ancestry setting. He established a long-term collaboration with the Shenzhen-based genomics platform WeGene, supported by the Innovation and Technology Fund of the Hong Kong government. Professor Yang and his team have developed statistically accurate and computationally efficient methods for direct-to-consumer genetic data analysis and other services, enabling customers to learn more about themselves from their DNA data. 

In recognition of the significant economic and societal impact of the work done by Professor Yang and his team, and their contributions to both research and practice, HKUST is honored to award a Named Professorship to this exceptional scholar.