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Erliang Zeng, PhD, MS, BS

Associate Professor

Introduction

Currently, I am an Associate Professor at the University of Iowa (UI), affiliated with the Division of Biostatistics and Computational Biology in the College of Dentistry and the Department of Biostatistics. Prior to joining UI, I served as an Assistant Professor at the University of South Dakota (USD), holding joint appointments in the Departments of Biology and Computer Science. From 2009 to 2014, I was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame (ND) and also served as the Managing Director of ND’s bioinformatics core facility.

Before transitioning to a faculty role, I worked as a Post-Doctoral Associate at the University of Miami. I received my Ph.D. in Computer Science from Florida International University in 2008, following an M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a B.S. in Biotechnology from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2001 and 1998, respectively.

Current Positions

  • Associate Professor of COD Division of Biostatistics and Computational Biology
  • Associate Professor of Preventive & Community Dentistry
  • Associate Professor of Iowa Institute for Oral Health
  • Associate Professor of Informatics Program
  • Associate Professor of Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Associate Professor of Human Toxicology Program
  • Profile activity Associate Professor of Department of Biostatistics (secondary)
  • Profile activity Associate Professor of Department of Biomedical Engineering (secondary)

Education

  • MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
  • BS in Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
  • PhD in Computer Science, Florida International University, Miami, Florida

Selected Awards & Honors

  • Student Supervisor of the Year: The Certificate of Distinction Award, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
  • The Best Contributed Analysis (Second Place), CAMDA (Critical Assessment of Massive Data Analysis) Conference, Chicago, Illinois
  • Faculty Research Support Program Award, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana
  • Excellence Award, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
  • Dissertation Year Fellowship, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
  • Outstanding Graduate Academic Achievement Award, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
  • Presidential Fellowship, Florida International University, Miami

Professional Memberships

  • The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR)

Selected Publications

  • Kim, J., Rajaram, S. V., Nguyen, P., Peng, A., Xie, X., Zeng, E. (2025). Discovery of Novel Prognostic Gene Pairs Derived From Multi-Omics Approaches in OSCC. AADOCR Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
  • Nguyen, P., Kim, J., Zeng, E., Xie, X. (2025). Identification of Prognostic Biomarkers for Oral Cancer Using Multi-Omics Analysis. AADOCR Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
  • Kulanthaivel, S., Rysavy, O., Banas, J., Zeng, E., Drake, D., Xie, X., Vidal, C. (2025). Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Dentin-Pulp Complex Responses to Bacterial by-Products. AADOCR Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
  • Vidal, C., Rysavy, O., Zeng, E., Kulanthaivel, S., Araujo, E., Drake, D., Xie, X., Banas, J. (2025). Proteomic Profile of Dentin in Moderate and Advanced Caries Lesions. AADOCR Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
  • Awotoye, W., Mossey, P., Gowans, L., Abebe, M., Adeyemo, Wasiu., Alade, A., Zeng, E., Naicker, T., Busch, T., Young, M., Ibarra, N., Aladenika, E., Olujitan, M., Oladayo, A., Adeyemo, A., Butali, A. (2025). Whole-Genome Sequencing Analyses of Africans With Clefts 2.0: Insights Gained. AADOCR Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
  • Zhang, J., Wang, A., Miao, D., Zeng, E., Lin, M., Lei, Y., Zhang, S. (2024). Type I Interferon Plays a Protective Role in Murine Ligature-Induced Periodontitis. IADR/AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
  • Olujitan, M., Zeng, E., Mossey, P., Murray, J., Adeyemo, A., Lupo, P., Butali, A,, Aladenika, E., Oladayo, A,, Awotoye, W., Alade, A., Busch, T., Gowans, L., Eshete, M., Adeyemo, W. (2024). The Burden of Cancer Predisposition in Individuals With Orofacial Clefts. IADR/AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
  • Ogwo, C., Warren, J., Brown, G., Zeng, E., Thomson, W. M., Levy, S. (2024). Predicting OHRQOL Trajectories From Adolescence to Adulthood Using Machine Learning. IADR/AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
  • Awotoye, W., Young, M., Oladayo, A., Adeyemo, A., Butali, A., Mossey, P., Gowans, L., Eshete, M., Adeyemo, W., Alade, A., Zeng, E., Naicker, T., Busch, T. (2024). Novel Pathogenic Variants in Cleft Genes Contributing to NSCL±P Risk. IADR/AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
  • Rajaram, S. V., Singh, P., Hikkaduwa Withanage, M., Zeng, E. (2024). Multi-Omics Comparison of Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi in Oral Microbiome. IADR/AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition.