Ever since moving across the world from Chongqing, China, to attend UW–Madison for his bachelor’s degree, Jinghao Zhou MSx’26 has been impressed by the university and its home city. “I quickly learned that Madison is a beautiful place, even though it can be cold,” he said. But the real draw for Zhou was the strength and breadth of research happening at the UW. “So many people here are supportive of and devoted to research,” he added, including faculty and fellow graduate students at the iSchool.
As an undergraduate, Zhou double majored in Psychology with a Statistics Certificate, assisting with interview-based research in the Department of Pediatrics involving adolescents’ experiences on social media. He appreciated how this work translated effectively into practice, and he fell in love with research along the way—especially research with a focus on human well-being. At the same time, he still wanted to fill what he called a “knowledge gap” regarding more data-driven methods, which can open new research avenues.
He found that a perfect program existed at UW–Madison that would enable him to continue his education and conduct further research at the intersection of data analysis and human well-being: the iSchool’s MS Information program.
Research at the METAR Lab
Quickly after enrolling in the MS program in fall of 2024, Zhou landed a position as a Graduate Research Assistant in the METAR Lab (short for Metabolic Environment Targeting Age Reversal) at the UW–Madison School of Nursing. The interdisciplinary lab, run by faculty members from the College of Engineering and the School of Nursing, explores how different aspects of a person’s work and home environments can impact heart and metabolic health. Their long-term goal: catalyzing the creation of healthier human environments that promote longevity and well-being. In other words, protecting working hearts.
At the METAR Lab, Zhou is leading an innovative project to identify the social and environmental factors that affect heart and metabolic health in construction workers and truck drivers. “These workers typically age more rapidly than other types of workers,” Zhou said.
“If we can identify the factors driving disparities in occupational health, future researchers and practitioners can design effective interventions, like intelligent workplace systems or policy reforms from local governments, to protect worker health proactively.”
Jinghao Zhou
The project is currently in the data collection phase, and as a graduate student, Zhou is overseeing a group of undergraduate researchers, applying project management and data skills he has picked up in the iSchool’s MS program. Zhou said he also appreciates working with researchers from a range of fields and backgrounds, including his supervisor Wan-Chin Kuo, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing and one of the lab’s principal investigators. “It’s rewarding to be able to present my opinions and thoughts to the senior researchers, whether they agree or disagree,” Zhou said, “because either way, it allows me to improve.”
Zhou is the latest MS Information student to join a growing group using skills taught at the iSchool to enhance cross-disciplinary projects that aim to improve human health; for instance, Rahil Virani MSx’25 has helped manage and analyze data for the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Students like Zhou and Virani are using their skills to uncover key insights about health issues that touch countless lives, all while bolstering the research enterprise at UW–Madison, one of the top research universities in the nation.
The iSchool experience
Around the halfway point in his MS program, Zhou has already honed several skills at the iSchool that have made him a better researcher and collaborator. “The Information School faculty are all very knowledgeable,” he noted. “It’s quite a place to be able to find myself.” He singled out two specific courses and faculty members that have been standouts for him.
“I took a project management course [LIS 615] with Adam Rule, who is my favorite professor at the iSchool,” Zhou said. The course has equipped him with new techniques, tools and technologies that have proven useful in his work at the METAR Lab. “Part of my role in the lab is managing students from a wide range of academic backgrounds, which can be difficult at times,” Zhou said. “I have already been using a lot of project management skills and tools I learned from that class in my research.”
He also expressed gratitude to Assistant Professor Corey Jackson, whose course in user experience (UX) design also left a lasting impact on Zhou’s approach to research. “This course taught me how to approach research from the participants’ perspective,” Zhou said, “and gave me a lot of insights into the common pitfalls to avoid in the research process,” from a UX point of view.
The MS Information program has enabled Zhou to fill knowledge gaps and deepen his research skillset. His experience shows how the iSchool serves as an effective launchpad for young scholars to pursue work that contributes to the well-being of people, communities, and society.
Learn more about the MS Information program.