An-Shun Tai (戴安順)

Assistant Professor at
Department of Statistics, National Cheng Kung University
I received my Ph.D. in Statistics at National Tsing Hua University in 2019. My current research interests are the genomic data analysis and causal inference.
  • For genomic studies, the biological topics I have studied include tumor heterogeneity, immune cell deconvolution, and single-cell sequencing. Based on these topics, I have applied Bayesian modeling, clustering approach, and variable selection for developing the corresponding statistical models.
  • For causal inference, I recently focused on the statistical model development for mediator analysis with multiple mediators  and  instrumental variable method (Mendelian Randomization).  
I would welcome any email for an academic discussion.   
​
​Research Interests
  • Biostatistics​​
  • Bioinformatics (Statistical Genomics)
  • Bayesian Inference (Bayesian variable selection)
  • Causal inference
  • Multiple mediation analysis
  • Mendelian Randomization
  • Robust estimation 
Education
  • 2019. Ph.D. in Institute of Statistics, National Tsing-Hua University, Taiwan. (Advisor: Prof. Wen-Ping Hsieh) 
  • 2011. M.S. in Institute of Statistics, National Tsing-Hua University, Taiwan. 
  • 2009. B.S. in  Department of Mathematics, National Tsing-Hua University, Taiwan.
Academic Experience
  • 2022 - Now. Assistant Professor, Department of Statistics, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
  • 2019 - 2022. Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Statistics, National Chiao-Tung University, Taiwan.
  • 2017. Predoctoral Visiting Scholar, Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh. (George C. Tseng's Group)
Publications 
(A) Major work
Published or In press​:
  1. An-Shun Tai and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2024+). Multiply robust estimation of natural indirect effects with multiple ordered mediators. Statistics in Medicine. [R code]
  2. An-Shun Tai and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2023). Complete effect decomposition for an arbitrary number of multiple ordered mediators with time-varying confounders: A method for generalized causal multi-mediation analysis. Statistical Methods in Medical Research.32(1), 100-117.
  3. An-Shun Tai, Sheng-Hsuan Lin*, Yu-Cheng Chu, Tsung Yu, Milo A. Puhan, and Tyler VanderWeele (2023). Causal mediation analysis with multiple time-varying mediators. Epidemiology. 34(1):p 8-19 [Link]
  4. An-Shun Tai, Ro-Ting Lin*, Yi-Chun Lin, Chung-Hsing Wang, Sheng-Hsuan Lin, Seiya Imoto (2022 Aug). Genome-wide causal mediation analysis identifies genetic loci associated with uterine fibroids mediated by age at menarche. Human Reproduction. 37(9):2197-2212. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deac136.
  5. An-Shun Tai, Pei-Hsuan Lin, Yen-Tsung Huang, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2022). Path-specific effects in the presence of a survival outcome and causally ordered multiple mediators with application to genomic data. Statistical Methods in Medical Research. 31(10):1916-1933. doi:10.1177/09622802221104239 [Link]
  6. An-Shun Tai, Le-Hsuan Liao, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2022). On the conventional definition of path-specific effects - fully mediated interaction with multiple ordered mediators. Epidemiology. 33(6): p 817-827. DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001520. [Link]
  7. An-Shun Tai, Chun-Chao Wang, and Wen-Ping Hsieh* (2022). Detection of cell separation–induced gene expression through a penalized deconvolution approach. Statistics in Biosciences. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12561-022-09344-8.
  8. An-Shun Tai and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2022).​ Identification and robust estimation of swapped direct and indirect effects: Mediation analysis with unmeasured mediator–outcome confounding and intermediate confounding. Statistics in Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.9501. [Link]
  9. An-Shun Tai, Yi-Juan Du, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2022). Robust inference on effects attributable to mediators: A controlled-direct-effect-based approach for causal effect decomposition with multiple mediators. Statistics in Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.9329. 
  10. An-Shun Tai, Yen-Tsung Huang, Hwai-I Yang, Lauren V. Lan, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2022). G-computation to causal mediation analysis with sequential multiple mediators – investigating the vulnerable time window of HBV activity for the mechanism of HCV induced hepatocellular carcinoma.  Frontiers in Public Health. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.757942.
  11. An-Shun Tai and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2021). Integrated multiple mediation analysis: A robustness–specificity trade-off in causal structure. Statistics in Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.9079.
  12. An-Shun Tai, Chun-An Tsai, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2021). Survival mediation analysis with the death-truncated mediator: The completeness of the survival mediation parameter. Statistics in Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.9008.
  13. An-Shun Tai, George C. Tseng, and Wen-Ping Hsieh* (2021). BayICE: A Bayesian hierarchical model for semi-reference-based deconvolution of bulk transcriptomic data. Annals of Applied Statistics. 15(1) 391 - 411. https://doi.org/10.1214/20-AOAS1376. [Link] [R code]
  14. An-Shun Tai, Chien-Hua Peng*, Shih-Chi Peng, and Wen-Ping Hsieh* (2018). Decomposing the subclonal structure of tumors with two-way mixture models on copy number aberrations. PLOS ONE. 13(12): e0206579. [Link][R code]

Papers in review or in revision:​
  1. An-Shun Tai* (2024+). Robust semiparametric estimation of average causal effects in Mendelian randomization under an intermediate variable intervention. In preparation.
  2. Yan-Lin Chen, Yan-Hong Chen, Pei-Fang Su, Huang-Tz Ou, and An-Shun Tai* (2024+). Robust inference for causal mediation analysis of recurrent event data. Submitted. [arXiv]
  3. An-Shun Tai, Yu-Cheng Chu, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2024+). Causal mediation analysis of non-mortality outcomes with follow-up truncated by death: Survivor natural direct and indirect effect. Submitted.

(B) Collaborative work
Published or In press​:
  1. Jui-Hsiang Lin, An-Shun Tai, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2022). Population Attributable Fraction based on sufficient causal framework for mediation settings.​ Annals of Epidemiology. 75:57-66. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2022.08.050.
  2. Tzu-Yen Huang, Wing-Hei Viola, Feng-Yu Chiang, Che-Wei Wu, Shih-Chen Fu, An-Shun Tai, Yi-Chu Lin, Hsin-Yi Tseng, Ka-Wo Lee, Sheng-Hsuan Lin (2021). Correlation between Objective and Subjective High-Pitched Voice Impairment in Patients after Thyroid Surgery. Frontiers in Endocrinology. Accepted.
  3. Tzu-Yen Huang, Wing-Hei V. Yu, Feng-Yu Chiang, Che-Wei Wu, Shih-Chen Fu, An-Shun Tai, Yi-Chu Lin, Hsin-Yi Tseng, Ka-Wo Lee, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin (2021). How the Severity and Mechanism of Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Dysfunction during Monitored Thyroidectomy Impact on Postoperative Voice. Cancers 13, no. 21: 5379. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13215379
  4. Tanbin Rahman, Hsin-En Huang, Yujia Li, An-Shun Tai, Wen-Ping Hsieh, Colleen McClung, and George C. Tseng* (2022). A sparse negative binomial classifier with covariate adjustment for RNA-seq data. ​Annals of Applied Statistics.
  5. Yu-Hsuan Lin, Si-Yu Chen, Pei-Hsuan Lin, An-Shun Tai ,  Yuan-Chien Pan, Chang-En Hsieh, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2020). Assessing User Retention of a Mobile App: Survival Analysis. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020;8(11):e16309. DOI: 10.2196/16309
  6. Yen-Tsung Huang, An-Shun Tai, Meng-Ying Chou, Geng-Xian Lin, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2020). Six‐way decomposition of causal effects: Unifying mediation and mechanistic interaction. Statistics in Medicine. 1– 18. https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.8708
  7. Chien-Hua Peng, Chun-Ta Liao, Ka-Pou Ng, An-Shun Tai, Shih-Chi Peng, Jen-Pao Yeh, Shu-Jen Chen, Kuo-Chien Tsao, Tzu-Chen Yen*, and Wen-Ping Hsieh* (2015). Somatic copy number alterations detected by ultra-deep targeted sequencing predict prognosis in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. Oncotarget, 6(23), 19891.
  8. Chien-Hua Peng, Yi-Zhi Jiang, An-Shun Tai, Chun-Bin Liu, Shih-Chi Peng, Chun-Ta Liao, Tzu-Chen Yen*, and Wen-Ping Hsieh* (2013). Causal inference of gene regulation with subnetwork assembly from genetical genomics data. Nucleic Acids Research.

Papers in review or in revision:
  1. Hyunman Sim, Whanhee Lee, An-Shun Tai, Woojoo Lee (2024+). Sensitivity analysis for attributable fraction in the presence of unmeasured confounding. Revision in American Journal of Epidemiology.
  2. Pei-Hsuan Hsia, An-Shun Tai, Chu-Lan Micheal Kao, Yu-Hsuan Lin, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2024+). Causal Mediation Analysis for Difference-in-Difference Design and Panel Data. Revision in Journal of Causal Inference.

(C) Other work
  1. An-Shun Tai, Shih-Wen Lin, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2020) Sample size calculations for the multiple mediation model (in Chinese). Journal of the Chinese Statistical Association. Vol. 58, 199–220.
  2. An-Shun Tai, Yen-Tsung Huang, Wen-Chung Lee, and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2020) Conceptualizing agonistic interaction in a marginal sufficient component cause model: An alternative interpretation for subadditive interaction. Journal of the Chinese Statistical Association. Vol. 58, 168–198.
  3. An-Shun Tai and Sheng-Hsuan Lin* (2022) Book review: “Fundamentals of Causal Inference With R” by Babette A. Brumback. Biometrics. https://doi. org/10.1201/9781003146674.
Presentations 
(A) Invited Oral Presentation
  1. 2023 International Conference for Statistics and Data Science (Taiwan). July 2023.
    --- Robust semiparametric estimation of average causal effects in Mendelian randomization under an intermediate variable intervention.
  2. 2023 KSS-CSA-JSS Young Researcher’s Session (Korea). July 2023.
    --- Robust semiparametric estimation of average causal effects in Mendelian randomization under an intermediate variable intervention.
  3. The 32th South Taiwan Statistics Conference (Taiwan). June 2023.
    --- Causal mediation analysis for recurrent event using additive rate models: generalizations from the Baron and Kenny method.
  4. The Asian Regional Section of the International Association for Statistical Computing (IASC- ARS) 2022 (Kyoto, JAPAN). February 2022.
    --- Robust inference on effects attributable to mediators: A controlled-direct-effect-based approach for causal effect decomposition with multiple mediators.
  5. The 30th South Taiwan Statistics Conference (Kaohsiung city, Taiwan). October 2021.
    --- Survival mediation analysis with the death-truncated mediator: The completeness of the survival mediation parameter
  6. The 29th South Taiwan Statistics Conference (Chiayi city, Taiwan). August 2020.
    -- A unified framework for causal multi-mediation analysis of tumor heterogeneity by gene expression profiling.
  7. Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan. September 2019
    -- General approach of causal mediation analysis for survival outcome under sequential mediators.
  8. 108 年中國統計學社社員大會暨 統計學術研討會. December 2019.
    -- Generalized interventional approach for causal mediation analysis with causally ordered multiple mediators.

(B) Contributed Oral Presentation and Poster
  1. Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) 2023 (Canada). August 2023.
    --- Robust Semiparametric Estimation of Average Causal Effects in Mendelian Randomization under an Intermediate Variable Intervention.
  2. The 31th South Taiwan Statistics Conference (Taichung City, Taiwan). July 2022 
    -- Multiply robust estimation of natural indirect effects with multiple ordered mediators
  3. The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2019 Annual Meeting (Houston, US). October 2019
    -- The investigation of cell separation-induced gene expression via a penalized deconvolution approach 
  4. The 28th South Taiwan Statistics Conference (Taichung City, Taiwan). June 2019
    -- Causal mediation analysis with the mediator truncated by death in the survival study 
  5. Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) 2018 (Vancouver, Canada). July 2018
    --     A Hierarchical Bayesian Deconvolution Model for Inferring Immune Cell Components in Tumor.
  6. The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2016 Annual Meeting (Vancouver, Canada). October 2016
    -- Inferring evolution structure based on copy number aberration from head and neck cancer via penalized two-way mixture Poisson model.
  7. The 25th South Taiwan Statistics Conference (Kaohsiung City, Taiwan). June 2016
    -- Copy number identification in clonal cell populations using spatially correlated two-way Poisson mixture models.
  8. The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2015 Annual Meeting (Baltimore, US). October 2015
    -- Reconstructing clonal evolutionary process among copy number variants in tumor.
Honors and Awards 
  • 2021 MOST Postdoctoral Researcher Academic Research Award (科技部110年度博士後研究人員學術研究獎)
  • 2019 Travel grant award from Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) to attend ASHG 2019 (國內專家學者出席國際學術會議)
  • 2018 Honorary member of the Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society, Taiwan
  • 2018 Travel grant award for PhD students from Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) to attend JSM 2018 (科技部國內研究生出席國際學術會議)
  • 2016 Travel grant award for PhD students from Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) to attend ASHG 2016 (科技部國內研究生出席國際學術會議)
  • 2015 Travel grant award for PhD students from Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) to attend ASHG 2015 (科技部國內研究生出席國際學術會議)
  • 2012 Recipient of President Scholarship granted by National Tsing-Hua University
Journal Referee
  • Scientific reports (2020)
  • PLOS Computational Biology (2021)
  • Statistica Sinica (2021, 2022, 2023)
  • Briefings in Bioinformatics (2021*3)
  • BMC Bioinformatics (2022)
  • Frontiers in Genetics (2022)
  • Australian & New Zealand Journal of Statistics (2022)
  • Journal of Data Science, Statistics, and Visualisation (2022)
  • International Journal of Epidemiology (2022)
  • Australian & New Zealand Journal of Statistics (2022)
  • PLOS one (2022)
  • BMC Medical Research Methodology (2023)
  • Microbiome (2023)
  • Human reproduction (2023)
  • Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications (2023)
  • Frontiers in Endocrinology (2023)
  • IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems (2023)