2025 iHub × IBM SkillsBuild
Technology Bootcamp

Dr. Xiaoyan Wang is a professor at Department of Health Policy and Management of Tulane University and Chief Scientist of IMO Health. She has authored hundreds of research papers focused on transforming healthcare and life sciences through AI innovation and has held prominent leadership roles in AI advisory committees and working groups across multiple scientific and professional societies. 

She was recently VP of Healthcare Analytics and Informatics and VP of Biopharma Solutions at GeneDx Mount Sinai Genomics Inc. Before joining the biopharma industry, she was a faculty member at the University of Connecticut, UConn Health Center, and Mount Sinai Health Systems bridging research, health services, and teaching. She holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Informatics and NLP from Columbia University School of Medicine.

Ruixiang Tang is an Assistant Professor in the 

Dr. Ruixiang Tang is a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Rice University and received his B.S. in Automation from Tsinghua University. Dr. Tang’s research centers on Trustworthy Machine Learning, with a focus on robustness and explainability across the entire machine learning lifecycle—from data collection and model design to deployment and human interaction. He collaborates with health informatics researchers at institutions such as the New Jersey Medical School, UTHealth, and Baylor College of Medicine to apply machine learning to critical challenges in healthcare. 

His recent work also addresses the unique trustworthiness issues posed by large foundation models, such as large language and vision-language models. His long-term goal is to develop learning algorithms that enhance the reasoning abilities of these models, ensuring they are more reliable, transparent, and aligned with human intent.

Dr. Tianhao Wu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of OPAIDA, Inc, is the architect of AiPathfinder platform. Dr. Tianhao Wu received a bachelor's degree in computer science from Peking University in 1997 and won the Outstanding Graduate Award of Peking University that year and held a PhD in Machine Learning from Lehigh University, Dr. Wu has over 24 years' experience in AI industry. Before founding OPAIDA, Inc, Dr. Wu developed search engine systems at Ask.com, and created machine learning platforms for WorkFusion. Holding multiple patents, Dr. Wu has successfully worked out over two hundred real-world AI use cases.  Dr. Wu also co-founded AYR, Inc. and has led AYR’s highly effective performance team to win milestone AI contracts (i.e., IRS, Bank of New York Mellon), while beating giant competitors such as Google, AWS and Microsoft. AYR has been recognized as one of the Top 30 Fastest Growing Companies in 2023 by Global Business Leaders Magazine.

Molly Liu is a results-driven AI Data Scientist with a Master’s degree in Biostatistics from Yale University. She currently works at Bristol Myers Squibb in the Commercial team, where she focuses on analytical AI and patient prediction. Her work leverages machine learning to identify target patient cohorts, uncover treatment opportunities, and enhance patient outreach—ultimately improving patient outcomes and quality of life.

Prior to her current role, Molly was a Senior Data Scientist at UnitedHealth Group, where she supported government programs and developed AI-driven business insights to improve healthcare quality metrics. She also worked as a Biostatistician at Yale/YNHH CORE, contributing to clinical trial analytics and healthcare quality evaluation through statistical modeling, feature engineering, and real-world data analysis. With a strong foundation in biostatistics, epidemiology, and machine learning, Molly brings deep expertise in predictive modeling, AI strategy, and healthcare-focused data science.

Dr. Haote Li is a Senior Scientist at Merck, where he conducts research in large language model applications for chemical development and drug discovery. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Yale University (2019-2025) and a Master in Physics from UMass Amherst (2016-2019).

During his doctoral studies, Dr. Li developed computational methods for molecular design and chemical prediction. His work included fine-tuning Llama 3.1 models for chemical applications. He also created the Kernel-Elastic Autoencoder (KAE) for molecular generation and developed transformer-based models for retrosynthetic planning.

At Merck, Dr. Li applies machine learning techniques to pharmaceutical research, focusing on integrating AI methods with traditional drug discovery processes.

Dr. Yingchao Zhang is Partner and Vice President of Business Development at Singularity Systems Inc., where he leads strategic growth initiatives by leveraging his deep technical expertise and business insight. With a background that spans science, technology, and entrepreneurship, he has held key roles including Senior Sales Engineer at ExtraHop Networks, Co-founder and Chief Architect at CrossFlow Software, and Director of Sales Engineering at NetScout Systems.

He holds a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics from SUNY Stony Brook / Brookhaven National Lab and conducted postdoctoral research at Columbia University. His academic journey began at the University of Science and Technology of China.

In addition to his professional career, he is an active community leader, serving on the West Windsor-Plainsboro School Board and as President of the Central Jersey Chinese American Association. He also contributes to several regional cultural and educational organizations.

Dr. Shaoke Lou is a senior scientist at Amgen, and he was a research scientist at Yale University, focusing on microbiome–host interactions, cancer biology, and immune response. His work includes predicting microbe–host and COVID-19 interactions, studying microbiome privacy, and analyzing single-cell brain data related to schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease. He is experienced in spatial transcriptomics, methylation analysis, and applying deep learning to biomedical data, particularly in cancer immunotherapy.

Previously, Dr. Shaoke completed a postdoctoral fellowship modeling the effects of genetic mutations on disease using machine learning. He holds a Ph.D. in Data Mining and Bioinformatics from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, an M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, and a B.S. in Chemistry from Xiamen University.

With over ten years of experience in translational biomedical research, Dr. Shaoke is dedicated to using computational and data-driven methods to advance human health.

Yulan Zhang is a Senior Consultant with a background in data science and experience in the Life Sciences and Healthcare (LSHC) space. In previous roles, Yulan focused on analyzing and interpreting data and learning how to tell clear, meaningful stories with it. In consulting, Yulan continues to grow—developing ways to engage audiences, communicate with clarity for business and technical audience. This session reflects that journey: still learning and sharing what’s helped along the way.

Junchi Lu is the Senior Manager, GPS Analytics Development at Bristol Myers Squibb. She focuses on helping drive the development and scaling of business analytics solutions, predictive risk assessment, and forecasting tools for the BMS Global Supply Chain organizations. 

Junchi joined BMS from Guidehouse Life Sciences Consulting, where she worked as a senior consultant working on multiple brand, market, and development strategy projects. Junchi has dedicated her career to the intersection of life science technologies, digital health innovations and advanced analytics. Her passion lies in building creative analytical solutions that make a meaningful impact in supporting patients’ well-being. Before joining BMS, Junchi led many commercial strategy projects with a primary focus on FemTech, digital health, CAR-T therapy, and a diverse range of therapeutic products.
Junchi holds the Doctoral Degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Notre Dame, where she developed the first of its kind of far-infrared and mid-infrared medical devices for diagnostics and therapeutic applications.

Dr Zhenyue Qin is a Postdoctoral Associate working on AI for healthcare with Prof Qingyu Chen. Previously, he was a Senior Researcher at Tencent XR Vision Labs working on 3D computer vision. He completed both his PhD and undergraduate (1st Honors) studies at the
Australian National University. He has published papers on various prestiguous conferences and journals like CVPR, AAAI, EMNLP, NAACL, and TNNLS. His research interests encompass
AI for healthcare, large vision-language models, and 3D computer vision.

Dr. Bruce Zou is an international trade expert and educator passionate about preparing students for a future shaped by AI and global collaboration. From 2016 to 2020, he led U.S.–China investment projects with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, securing over $2 billion in foreign investment and creating thousands of jobs. He also organized high-profile forums such as the U.S.–China Governors Forum and SelectUSA.

Dr. Zou holds a Doctorate in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, with research focusing on AI-driven workforce development, localization, and cross-border education. He also holds master’s degrees in Law and Public Administration from Penn and dual degrees in International Commerce and Accounting from the University of Kentucky. A certified Google Data Analyst, he bridges theory and practice in teaching.

As a guest lecturer, he will guide students on global education trends, AI-era career pathways, and personal growth through real-world insights and thought-provoking discussions.

Warren Zhou is a Product Manager within the IBM Software division. His role encompasses both business and technical aspects, focusing on articulating product value and facilitating successful software adoption in collaboration with internal and external parties. Beyond his main responsibilities, Warren actively participates in IBM Open Innovation Community initiatives and IBM P-TECH programs, earning a Service Corps Alumnus with Distinction award. He has received recognition from an IBM Senior Vice President sponsor for his involvement in programs for the Pan Asian community. Moreover, he was selected as one of the top technical contributors in 2024 to attend the IBM Tech 2025 conference, in recognition of outstanding skills and unwavering dedication to the business. Warren holds a Bachelor's in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master's in Information Systems from Stevens Institute of Technology. 

Mario Lewis is a seasoned finance professional with over 25 years of experience, currently serving as Managing Director and Head of Markets Regulatory Management at Citibank. He has held prior roles at the Federal Reserve Bank of NY, RBC, UBS, and others. He holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and credentials including CFA, FRM, and Commissioned Bank Examiner.

More prominently, Mario is an award-winning speaker and presentation coach, known for helping others become confident, impactful communicators. After overcoming his own fear of public speaking, he became a finalist in the 2012 Toastmasters World Championship and a multi-year semi-finalist (2017, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2024). He earned the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) designation in 2019 and continues to inspire audiences with high-energy, practical strategies for delivering memorable messages.

Eugene is a Senior AI Engineer at Stori Card, a fintech startup, where he built end-to-end AI infrastructure to enhance customer experience and boost employee performance. With 10 years of experience across industries like fintech, mortgage, and trading, Eugene has expertise in data science, data engineering, cloud computing, and AI engineering, using data to drive real-world business decisions.

Eugene's story into technology was actually after graduating UC Berkeley in statistics and economics. He attended a data science coding bootcamp, which gave him the skills to win 4 hackathons. Later he earned the Google Cloud Data Engineer certification. As a cloud computing expert with a strong focus on AWS, he has extensive experience transforming massive IoT sensor data (150TB+) and is passionate about serverless architecture, automation, and deploying microservices.

Joie (Zeqi) Li is a second-year M.S. candidate in Biostatistics with a concentration in Pharmaceutical Statistics at Columbia University, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Computational Biology from Cornell University. She currently works as a Data Visualization
and Analysis Intern at an AI-powered FemTech startup focused on hormone-related diseases, where she helps uncover patient symptom patterns using real-world clinical data. Prior to this
role, she conducted multiple research projects at the intersection of machine learning, epidemiology, and data science, with an emphasis on using visualization to reveal patterns in
disease risk and population health. Joie enjoys making complex data more accessible through clear, engaging visuals and is passionate about helping students explore the power of visual
storytelling in science and technology.