Xinshu Grace Xiao is the new Director of the Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Ph.D. Program, appointed by the Deans of Life Science and the School of Medicine.  Grace has an impressive record combining computational and experimental approaches to study fundamental problems in RNA processing and regulation.  Her long-standing commitment to the Bioinformatics IDP and her interdisciplinary training and research make her an exceptional choice to lead the program.

Grace received her undergraduate degree from Tsinghua University, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from M.I.T. and a Ph.D. from the Division of Health Sciences Technology at M.I.T.  Following postdoctoral research in the Department of Biology at M.I.T., she joined the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology here at UCLA where she is now a full professor.  She has been an integral member of the Bioinformatics IDP, serving on the Executive Steering Committee, the Curriculum Committee, and as a member and Chair of the Student Advising Committee.

Grace takes over leadership of a program that has grown to become a major Bioscience Ph.D. program at UCLA, nationally recognized for integrated training in big data at the interface of computer science, mathematics, statistics, biology, and biomedicine.  Under the prior Directors, Chris Lee and Yi Xing, the program has become a pillar of the vibrant and growing data science community at UCLA.  Grace brings interdisciplinary experience and vision to build on this foundation and advance the Bioinformatics IDP as a premiere training program.