Understanding people, predicting populations, improving health
The Du Lab at the University of Virginia develops computational and AI methods to understand, predict, and improve complex population health and human systems. We integrate artificial intelligence, behavioral modeling, mechanistic modeling, and population-scale data to understand emerging health dynamics and support better decisions.
Principle Investigator
Hongru Du, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Systems & Information Engineering at the University of Virginia, leads the Du Lab. He received his Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. His research develops AI and computational methods for modeling human behavior, population health, infectious disease dynamics, and public health decision-making.
Latest from Du Lab
- July 2026: Dr. Du receives a TYDE Spring 2026 Seed Grant to study young adults’ online information diets and their connections to mental health using large-scale digital behavior data.
December 2025: Dr. Du received Colab funding through UVA’s Environmental Institute to study wildfire evacuation behavior and community resilience.
Research directions
We develop AI methods that integrate diverse sources of population-level information, including health, behavioral, mobility, environmental, and digital data. Our goal is to turn these heterogeneous signals into more accurate and timely understanding of public health dynamics.
We develop AI agents and computational models to represent how people perceive information, make decisions, interact with others, and adapt over time. This work aims to bring more realistic human behavior into models of population and health systems.
We build mechanistic, statistical, and AI-based models to understand how infectious diseases spread across populations. We use these models to reconstruct epidemic dynamics, anticipate future trends, and support preparedness and response.
We develop computational frameworks that connect forecasting and simulation with intervention design and decision-making. Our goal is to help evaluate alternative strategies, anticipate population responses, and support better public health decisions under uncertainty.
Join Us!
We welcome motivated students and collaborators interested in developing AI and computational approaches for public health, human behavior, and population systems. If you are interested in joining or collaborating with the lab, please contact Dr. Du at [email protected].