Dr. Xuemei (Missi) Zhang is a Research Scientist with the Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science (CBHDS) whose interdisciplinary expertise strengthens research and training across the life sciences at Virginia Tech. With a background in plant and environmental sciences and a growing portfolio in bioinformatics and image analysis, she brings a unique ability to translate analytic approaches across biological systems. 

As she was finishing her Ph.D. at Virginia Tech, Zhang realized that the computational and analytical skills she had developed in plant biology could be applied to human biomedical research, a realization that ultimately led her to connect with CBHDS.

“I didn’t even know we had the Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science here,” she said. “I was just Googling and decided to email to see if I could intern.”

From the start, the Fralin Life Sciences Institute (FLSI) invested in CBHDS, and right around the time Zhang joined the Center, they were also seeking to expand bioinformatics support across Virginia Tech’s research community. Her initial outreach led to an internship in 2022, where she began assisting investigators across the university. As she connected with FLSI affiliated faculty, she quickly became a go-to collaborator for labs hoping to bring bioinformatics into their work, particularly those without existing computational support. With FLSI’s continued backing, CBHDS strengthens analytic capacity across the life sciences at Virginia Tech, and Zhang’s role directly advances FLSI’s priority to grow bioinformatics resources for faculty, students, and staff.

Today, Zhang works closely with research teams at all career stages, providing guidance on experimental design, high performance computing workflows, programming, RNA sequencing pipelines, and reproducible research practices. She collaborates with investigators on preparing grant submissions, designing analytic workflows, conducting data analyses, and disseminating findings through conference presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals. 

A notable example of this work is her central role in a newly NIH-funded project led by Dr. Siobhan Craige, Assistant Professor in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise (HNFE) and an FLSI affiliate faculty member, which examines how skeletal muscle cells respond to acute exercise. Zhang’s transcriptomics expertise was instrumental in securing this R01 award, and she continues to provide ongoing analytical leadership for the project.

As the project moves into its next phase, Zhang is training the Craige lab’s students in the bioinformatics and programming skills they will need for large-scale data analysis. This work highlights her broader impact, as she supports researchers across disciplines who are looking to integrate bioinformatics into their projects, offering guidance on everything from molecular and cellular processes to microbial systems and other areas within the life sciences.

Through these collaborations, Zhang has also become a sought-after mentor, an outcome of her expertise, communication skills, and collaborative spirit. Many of the students and researchers she supports have expressed how essential her guidance has been to their progress.

“One student told me she could not have made it without my help,” she recalled. “When she said that, it melted my heart.”

By helping teams navigate increasingly complex analytic environments, Zhang directly contributes to the mission of CBHDS to build research capacity across Virginia Tech. Her work strengthens the university’s ability to conduct cutting edge biological research while expanding access to high quality bioinformatics support for the broader FLSI community.