Who I Am and What I Do
I am a teacher who wants to learn all the unknowns and a researcher who is fond of the beauty of mathematics and of the beings. I love statistics, which is both my life and my fun; I like bridge, soccer, badminton and skiing. I am fascinated by biology and by nature wonders of all sorts. Here is a profile article about me published by Harvard University Gazette in 2001. Contact me: Department of Statistics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Email me at: . Click on those words with underlines and you may find something interesting, such as more pictures.
Interesting quotes:
o The true logic of this world is in the calculus of probabilities.
— J. C. Maxwell
o What we see is the solution to a computational problem, our brains compute the most likely causes for the photon absorptions within our eyes.
— H. Helmholtz
o Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.
—–Voltaire (aka François-Marie Arouet)
Below is quoted from Daniel Ally (I changed one word) in his contribution to Entrepreneur
“Most people assume that they know answers. Their assumptions actually hold them back from knowing the truth. Truly, you want to ask questions to gain clarity about the direction you are heading. The fact is that many people don’t ask any questions as they habitually guess their way by creating answers for themselves.
To become a great researcher, don’t answer your questions, but question your answers. When you need to know the facts, you must inquire, not just make assumptions. Many people don’t want to ask questions because it exposes them to confront the reality of their circumstance, which may scare them. Moreover, asking questions forces them into the laborious task of thinking, which is why they fail to ask questions.”
My publication list is available at Google Scholar
New Software:
- PhyloAcc: Bayesian detection of changes of conservation of a genomic region
- SODA: Stepwise method for variable and interaction selection for Logistic regression and Index models
- CLIC: Clustering by Inferred Co-Expression Help identifying new members of a pathway of interest as well as relevant expression datasets
- DS: Dynamic Slicing for k-Sample Testing
- SIRI: SIR for variable selection via Inverse modeling
- RABIT: Regression Analysis with Background InTegration
- CLIME: Clustering by Inferred Models of Evolution OMIM results
- BACH: Bayesian 3D constructor for Hi-C data (NEW: user-friendly GUI is available now!)
- HiCNorm: removing biases in Hi-C data via Poisson regression
- PACO: Pattern-collapsed (PACO) EM algorithm for delay tomography
- Tmod: A Windows-based software suite for sequence motif discovery
- BiotextMiner: A webserver to mine for protein-protein interactions
Savage’s approach to research, via Mosteller (copy from Jon McAuliffe’s webpage):
- As soon as a problem is stated, start right away to solve it. Use simple examples.
- Keep starting from first principles, explaining again and again what you are trying to do.
- Believe that this problem can be solved and that you will enjoy working it out.
- Don’t be hampered by the original problem statement. Try other problems in its neighborhood; maybe there is a better problem than the current one you are facing.
- Work an hour or so on it frequently. Talk about it; explain it to people.
My book on Monte Carlo methods:

Table of Contents
- Experiences
- Awards and Honor
- Research Interests
- Main Collaborators’ websites
- Computational Biology Softwares
- Recent Talks in Slides
- Courses taught
- Pictures and Figures
- Students and Associates
- Selected Publications
- My Son James
- My Daughter Jacqueline
- My Son Joshua
Link to Professional Societies:
- American Statistical Association (elected fellow)
- Institute of Mathematical Statistics (elected fellow)
- International Society for Bayesian Analysis
- International Chinese Statistics Association
- International Society of Computational Biology (elected fellow)
Past Workshops
- First Cape Cod Workshop on Monte Carlo Methods
- Hyannis, Massachusetts. September 13-14, 2002
- Second Cape Cod Workshop on Monte Carlo Methods
- Cambridge, Massachusetts. August 27-28, 2004
- Third Workshop on Monte Carlo Methods
- Cambridge, Massachusetts. May 13-14, 2007
- First Wuxi International Statistics Forum
- Wuxi, Jiangsu, PR China, July 17-19, 2011
- Second Taihu International Statistics Forum
- Taihu, Jiangsu, P.R. China. July 6-8, 2013
- Third Taihu Interantional Statistics Forum
- Shanghai, P.R. China. July 9-11, 2016