Peng Liu, Professor in the Department of Statistics at Iowa State University, has been named Director of the Laurence H. Baker Center for Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics.
Housed within the Plant Sciences Institute (PSI), the Baker Center is a research, training, and service hub that develops statistical tools to support biological research. It focuses on predictive phenomics, which involves understanding how genetic and environmental factors shape observable traits. The center supports PSI researchers by helping them analyze large-scale genetic and phenomic data.
“I became a Plant Sciences Institute Scholar in 2018 and I am well acquainted with the work of fellow PSI Scholars,” Liu said. “I have worked extensively with plant scientists on campus and from other institutions over my years at Iowa State University.”
As director, Liu will work to expand the Baker Center’s reach across campus.
“One of my primary goals as Director is to strengthen the Baker Center’s role as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration,” she said. “I want to not only contribute statistical methods myself but also involve more statisticians and bioinformaticians in PSI-related research and foster stronger connections between data scientists and plant biologists.”
Liu will also work with PSI leadership to help researchers across Iowa State develop experimental design and data analysis strategies to drive new scientific discoveries.