
Lu Zhong

I am currently a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Clemson University, working with Dr. Lior Rennert within the Center for Public Health Modeling and Response. Before that, I was a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, as advised by Dr. Jianxi Gao. I obtained my Ph.D. degree in Data Science at the City University of Hong Kong, advised by Dr. Qingpeng Zhang.
My research focuses on improving healthcare operations and resilience. I develop data-driven approaches (Big Data/ML/AI) combined with complex-network modeling to study human behavior and structural dynamics, guiding evidence-based policymaking for public health preparedness and response to shocks such as pandemics, natural disasters, and climate events. Using predictive modeling, complex systems analysis, and network optimization, my work has advanced the understanding of infectious disease spread (Nat.Commun.Phys'21, IEEETrans.Cybern'18), human mobility patterns (Nat. Cities'25), and healthcare system resilience during global pandemics (Nat. Med'24). Beyond healthcare, my research extends to the resilience of urban and socio-technical systems, addressing broader societal challenges.
Broadly, my research advances data-driven modeling of resilience in complex systems. Leveraging terabytes to petabytes of human mobility data and electronic health records from the COVID-19 Research Database, I explore the dynamics of human networks and behaviors at the center of societal crises. My research has been awarded the Research Accelerator Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I am also the referee for Journals like IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems, BMC Public Health, and Scientific Reports.
Related links
News
-
2025/07. New paper published in Nature Cities: Universal expansion of human mobility across urban scales.
-
2025/04. New paper shared in medRxiv: Examining inequality in healthcare utilization during pandemic disruptions
-
2025/04. Lu joined Clemson University as a Research Assistant Professor.
-
2025/04. Lu presented her work on patient flow network at the conference NERCCS 2025.
-
2025/04. Congratulations to student Dimitri on receiving a PhD offer from Northeastern University's Network Science Institute!
-
2025/03. New paper shared in arXiv: Switching exploration modes in human mobility
-
2025/01. Congratulations to Lu for having her newborn boy Dylan!
-
2024/10. New paper shared in arXiv: Patient flow networks absorb healthcare stress during pandemic crises.
-
2024/05. New paper published in Nature Medicine: Healthcare system resilience and adaptability to pandemic disruptions in the United States. Also, check our result dashboard https://resiliencehealthsys.com/.
-
2024/05. Congratulations to student Dimitri Lopez for getting the Best of Podium Award in the 2024 GRS Award at RPI!