About Me

I am an incoming Vice-Chancellor Assistant Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Previously, I was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard-MGB's AI in Medicine Program. Before that, I received a PhD in Information from University of Michigan, School of Information (UMSI) and a BS in Statistics from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

As part of the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine at CUHK, my research is dedicated to advancing Medical Artificial Intelligence and Health Informatics. I am committed to fostering interdisciplinary collaborations between the AI community and medical and healthcare professionals. To better facilitate mutual understanding, let me outline my primary research interests from two complementary perspectives.

From the AI perspective, my research interests include:

• Clinical Reasoning with Large AI Models. With the rapid advancement of intelligent models—including deep learning, large language models (LLMs), multimodal foundation models, and energy-based models—there is significant potential to enhance complex clinical decision-making processes. My research aims to develop clinically applicable AI models, with a particular emphasis on Psychiatry, addressing the current gap in practical applications.
• System Building with AI Agents. I am interested in developing sophisticated AI-driven systems capable of simulating realistic patient interactions and facilitating clinical training and assessment. My work includes the design and implementation of interactive AI platforms that can reliably support medical professionals and improve patient care, particularly in Digital and Computational Psychiatry.

From the medical and healthcare perspective, my research concentrates on Neurodegenerative, Neurocognitive, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Specific applications of my research are:

• Auxiliary Diagnostics and Mechanism Understanding. Leveraging AI and multimodal data integration, my research seeks to enhance early and precise diagnosis of neurological disorders and unravel underlying disease mechanisms through computational modeling and data-driven insights.
• Digital Intervention and Patient-Facing Applications. Developing innovative digital tools aimed at personalized intervention, continuous monitoring, and improved patient engagement, empowering patients and caregivers through accessible, AI-powered technologies.

For more information, here’s a PDF of my CV.

Join Us

My lab is actively recruiting for multiple positions:

• PhD Students starting Fall 2026 (applications opening Fall 2025, relocation to Hong Kong needed per CUHK requirements),
• Research Assistants starting Fall 2025 (preferably in August, relocation to Hong Kong needed per CUHK requirements), and
• Research Collaborators/Interns with a flexible start but a minimum duration of 3 months (remote collaboration possible).

I'm an early career tenure-track assistant professor and sincerely welcome talented and self-motivated individuals who want to build the lab together with me. I see all lab members as important colleagues from day 1.

I am particularly looking for new lab members with a strong background in AI and data science who are passionate about addressing challenging problems in Digital and Computational Psychiatry. Experience in developing large AI models using Electronic Health Records (EHR) and clinical data is highly valued. Previous research experience and publications are advantageous but not mandatory.

Join us in pioneering research at the intersection of AI and Psychiatry to create meaningful and impactful advancements in patient care and clinical practice. Please don’t hesitate to contact me via email at leofan2025@gmail.com

Teaching

• SI 507. Intermediate Programming @University of Michigan, Winter 2024
• SI 671. Data Mining: Methods and Applications @University of Michigan, Fall 2023
• DH 199. Capstone: The Online Statistical Computing Reference (OSCR) @UCLA, Winter 2020

Employment

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow @AI in Medicine Program, Harvard-MGB, 2024 - 2025
• Data Scientist Intern @Procter & Gamble, 2023
• Data Scientist & Pre-doctoral Researcher @UCLA Digital Humanities, 2019 - 2021

Get in Touch

Email is best.

Publications

For a complete list of my publications, please visit my Google Scholar page.