UBC Statistics Department Colloquium: Statistical methods for single-cell and spatial data science

The UBC Statistics Department Colloquium Series features talks that are broad, accessible, and engaging - and open to everyone!

The third talk of our series will take place on Monday, June 8th where we will welcome Stephanie Hicks, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Biostatistics at Johns Hopkins University.

Date: Monday, June 8, 2026
Time: 3 - 4 PM
Location: ESB 5104/5106

Title: Statistical methods for single-cell and spatial data science

Abstract: Genomics is going through a data revolution where we can now profile gene expression at a single-cell or 2D spatial resolution. However, these data present unique challenges that have required the development of specialized statistical and computational methods and software infrastructure to successfully derive biological insights. Compared to bulk RNA-seq, there is an increased scale of the number of observations (or cells) that are measured and there is increased sparsity of the data, or fraction of observed zeros. Furthermore, as single-cell technologies mature, the increasing complexity and volume of data require fundamental changes in data access, management, and infrastructure alongside specialized methods to facilitate scalable analyses. I will discuss some challenges in the analysis of data and present some solutions that we have made towards addressing these challenges.

This colloquium series is sponsored in part by the Constance van Eeden Endowment.