Alexander Han
MD-PhD candidate at University of Michigan
I am currently in the MD phase of my dual-degree training and have not yet started my PhD. My research interests include generative genomics, systems biology, and statistical genomics, with a particular focus on their therapeutic applications.
Previously, I completed my B.A. in Statistics & B.S. in Biochemistry at Rice University. During my time at Rice, I conducted research primarily at Baylor College of Medicine in the labs of Huda Zoghbi and Ryan Dhindsa. Outside the lab, I spent much of my time co-founding Biokind Analytics, a nationwide organization that provides pro bono data analysis for healthcare nonprofits. To date, Biokind has partnered with more than 80 nonprofits (e.g. Make-A-Wish, ALS Association, NAMI) and analyzed roughly $900M in combined donations.
3 fun facts: - I grew up mostly in South Korea and Indonesia.- I got into Alzheimer’s disease research because of peanut butter.- In high school, I started South Korea’s first youth neuroscience symposium.
Academic Timeline
- 2019–Present — Seoul National University (Advisor: Jun-Young Lee). Voice biomarkers and APOE ε4 cohorts
- 2020–2024 — Rice University. B.A. Statistics, B.S. Biochemistry
- 2021–2024 — Baylor College of Medicine (Advisor: Huda Zoghbi). Biochemistry of understudied tau isoform
- 2023–2025 — Baylor College of Medicine (Advisor: Ryan Dhindsa). Genetic intolerance metrics across 590k exomes
- 2024–2026 — University of Barcelona (Advisor: Raquel Sanchez-Valle). ML models of Alzheimer’s progression from structural MRI scans
- 2025–Present — University of Michigan. MD-PhD
- 2026–Present — University of Michigan (Independent Project). Genetic priors + genome-scale perturb-seq to prioritize immune drug targets
Highlighted Research
- Genome-scale perturbation signatures from primary human CD4⁺ T cells improve genetics-based prioritization of immune drug targets
Han et al. · September 2026 · Preprint
- Vocal acoustic biomarkers predict amyloid positivity in non-demented individuals
Ham*, Han* et al. · September 2026 · Preprint
- Diverse ancestral representation improves genetic intolerance metrics
Han* et al. · March 2025 · Nature Communications
- The big tau splice isoform resists Alzheimer’s-related pathological changes
Chung et al. · July 2024 · Preprint
- Incidence and cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s disease by apolipoprotein ε4 allele presence
Yoo*, Han* et al. · March 2022 · Psychiatry Investigation
Links
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