Stanislav Smirnov is a Professor at the University of Geneva and holds a part-time position at the Chebyshev Laboratory of St. Petersburg State University. A leading figure in mathematical physics, he works on probability, complex analysis, and dynamical systems, with significant contributions to conformal invariance in statistical mechanics models.
Ron Peled is a Full Professor in the School of Mathematical Sciences at Tel Aviv University , currently on leave to serve as the Brin Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Maryland starting summer 2024. During 2022–2024 he was a Member at Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study . Education & Career: While explicit degrees are not listed, his trajectory shows appointments at NYU (2009–2010), UC Berkeley and Tel Aviv University as a teaching assistant, followed by faculty positions culminating in full professorship. Research Interests: His work lies at the intersection of probability theory, statistical physics, and combinatorics . Key themes include: Disordered systems and random environments (random-field Ising, spin glasses) First-passage percolation and random metrics Random surfaces and height functions Loop models and critical phenomena Random matrices and band matrices Geometric probability and allocation problems Publications & Impact: With over 70 papers in top journals such as Annals of Mathematics , Annals of Probability , Inventiones Mathematicae , and Communications in Mathematical Physics , his recent work explores minimal surfaces in random environments, localization in random band matrices, and quantitative disorder effects in low-dimensional spin systems. Grants & Awards: Research has been continuously funded by: Israel Science Foundation (grants 1048/11, 861/15, 1971/19, 2340/23) ERC Starting Grant LocalOrder ERC Consolidator Grant Transitions Marie Skłodowska-Curie International Reintegration Grant SPTRF Teaching & Mentoring: Prof. Peled has taught a broad spectrum of courses at Tel Aviv University (Brownian motion, probability, percolation, random matrices, stochastic calculus) and NYU (combinatorics, discrete mathematics). He has supervised 13 post-doctoral fellows and 8 graduate students (PhD & MSc) to date. Service & Outreach: He co-organizes the Joint Israeli Probability Seminar and has organized numerous international workshops and conferences including at Oberwolfach, Technion, and Tel Aviv University.
Dr. Antal Jarai is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Bath, where he also contributes to the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Statistical Applied Mathematics (SAMBa) and the Probability Laboratory at Bath. His work bridges probability theory and statistical physics, focusing on random processes with spatial and/or temporal structure. PhD in Mathematics from Cornell University (2000) BSc from Eötvös Loránd University (1996) Dr. Jarai's research explores problems motivated by statistical physics, including percolation, random walks, branching random walks, uniform spanning trees, and Abelian sandpiles. His recent publications address interlacement limits, asymptotics of optimal policies, resistance scaling, and wireless network proximity. He actively collaborates on interdisciplinary projects in network mathematics and wireless technology. Key trends in his publications include asymptotic analysis (5/5 papers), random walk theory (4/5), and probabilistic methods in statistical physics (4/5). Subfields span interlacement theory, self-organized criticality, stochastic geometry, and disordered systems. Royal Society Grant for 'Zero Dissipation Limit in Abelian Sandpiles' London Mathematical Society Grant for 'Critical Exponents in Sandpiles via Exact Sampling' EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Statistical Applied Mathematics (SAMBa) Dr. Jarai serves as Principal Investigator on multiple research grants and supervises students in probability and applied mathematics. He has contributed datasets on sandpile simulations and collaborates internationally on network mathematics projects.
Jesper Lund Pedersen is an Associate Professor at the Department of Mathematical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , specializing in applied probability theory with applications in financial mathematics and insurance mathematics . His research spans stochastic processes, optimal stopping time problems, and stochastic control. Education : PhD in Mathematics (2000, Aarhus University) His work addresses: (Nonlinear) optimal stopping time problems Stochastic control and filtering Multidimensional point processes Levy processes in finance Key publications reveal expertise in Bayesian changepoint detection , random drift identification , and mean-variance portfolio optimization , with interdisciplinary applications in neuroscience (V-ATPase dynamics) and epidemiology. Scientific awards : Villum Experiment Grant (2018-2020) Steno Research Fellowship (2002-2005) His research collaborations span Denmark, the UK, Germany, and the USA, focusing on probability theory, financial mathematics, and biomedical applications.
Samuel Johnston is a Lecturer in Probability Theory at the Department of Mathematics, King's College London, affiliated with the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences. He joined King's in 2022 after postdoctoral roles at the University of Bath, University of Graz, and University College Dublin. MMath, University of Oxford (2014) PhD in Probability, University of Bath (2017) Johnston's research spans probability theory, with a focus on stochastic processes involving branching, coalescence, and fragmentation. He actively explores free probability, random matrices, integrable combinatorics, and combinatorial approaches to the Jacobian conjecture. His work intersects with statistical physics and asymptotic geometric analysis. Recent publications highlight coalescent structures in heavy-tailed branching processes, integrable probability models, free probability via entropic transport, and convexity in high dimensions. Keywords include universality classes, Berry-Esseen bounds, and fragmentation-scaling limits. Samuel has not been mentioned to have received specific scientific awards or honors. He advises PhD students Rohan Shiatis (2023-) and Neil Mukerji (2024-). Collaborations span institutions in the UK, USA, Mexico, Austria, and Poland, with invited talks at global conferences including Xiangtan University, Imperial College London, and UCLA.
Noam Berger Steiger is a Professor of Stochastic Processes at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), within the School of Computation, Information and Technology and the Department of Mathematics. His office is located at Parkring 11, Garching bei München, and he can be contacted at noam.berger@tum.de. His research focuses on stochastic processes in random environments, percolation theory, and random walks. Key contributions include asymptotic analysis of preferential attachment graphs, quenched invariance principles for non-elliptic random walks, and slowdown phenomena in ballistic random motion. His work bridges theoretical probability with applications in complex systems. Analysis of his 2012-2014 publications reveals consistent focus on random walk dynamics in disordered media, with significant results on ballisticity conditions, trail detection in random scenery, and distributional limits. His research employs advanced probabilistic techniques published in top-tier journals including Annals of Probability and Probability Theory and Related Fields . Professor Berger has supervised 11 theses: 5 bachelor's theses at TUM covering Brownian motion properties and investment strategies for risk-averse investors, and 6 master's theses (3 at TUM, 3 at Hebrew University) on topics including return times for random walks, mass transport principles, and spin-glass percolation. His current teaching includes Markov Chains, Probability on Graphs, and Brownian Motion seminars. He is an active member of TUM's Probability Theory research group, which participates in the TUM-ICL Mathematical Sciences Hub and Exzellenzcluster MCQST. The group collaborates on quantum science initiatives while maintaining strong foundations in classical probability theory and stochastic analysis.
Eugene F. Fama, 2013 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, is the Robert R. McCormick Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Widely regarded as the "father of modern finance," his work on the efficient markets hypothesis and risk-return relationships has profoundly influenced both academic and investment communities. Bachelor's, Tufts University (1960) MBA and PhD, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (1964) Fama's research centers on theoretical and empirical finance, focusing on asset pricing models, market efficiency, and portfolio management. His recent publications emphasize factor investing, including the development of five-factor models and the analysis of international market anomalies. Key trends in his scholarship include empirical validation of the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), international factor analysis, and the distinction between luck and skill in mutual fund performance. His work remains foundational for quantitative finance and investment strategies. Scientific Awards and Fellowships Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences (2013) Deutsche Bank Prize in Financial Economics (2005) Morgan Stanley American Finance Association Award for Excellence in Finance (2007) Onassis Prize in Finance (2009) Chaire Francqui (1982) Nicholas Molodovsky Award from CFA Institute (2006) Fred Arditti Innovation Award (2007) Fellow of the American Finance Association (2001) Fellow of the Econometric Society Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fama serves as Advisory Editor for the Journal of Financial Economics and has mentored numerous PhD students through his academic career. His research continues to shape financial theory and practice, with ongoing analysis of market efficiency and factor-based investing.
Mohit Singh is the Coca-Cola Foundation Professor at the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. He previously held positions at Microsoft Research (2011-2016) and as an Assistant Professor at McGill University (2010-2012). PhD in Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization (ACO) at Carnegie Mellon University His research focuses on discrete optimization , approximation algorithms , and convex optimization , with applications to combinatorial optimization, submodular functions, and network design. He has contributed to topics like Sticky Brownian Rounding, integrality gaps, and online adaptive algorithms. His recent work includes theoretical advancements in matroid constraints, dimensionality reduction, and submodular maximization. He has published extensively in top conferences such as FOCS, SODA, ICML, and NeurIPS. He has been recognized with the Coca-Cola Foundation Professorship and served as Director of the Algorithms and Randomness Center at Georgia Tech (2019-2023). He has also held editorial roles and organized key academic workshops like the Bellairs Workshop on Approximation Algorithms (2011). His teaching includes advanced courses on approximation algorithms, combinatorial optimization, and linear inequalities. He has collaborated with institutions such as Microsoft Research and McGill University.
Cécile Mailler is a Reader in Probability at the University of Bath, where she is a member of the probability group Prob-L@B. She has held significant research positions including an EPSRC postdoctoral fellowship (2018-2021) titled "Random trees: analysis and applications" and previously worked as a postdoc at Prob-L@B (2013-2016) as part of Peter Mörters' EPSRC project "Emergence of Condensation in Stochastic Networks". She earned her PhD under the supervision of Brigitte Chauvin and Danièle Gardy at the Laboratoire de Mathématiques de Versailles. Her research focuses on probability theory with emphasis on branching processes, random trees, reinforcement mechanisms, Pólya urns, stochastic approximation, random networks, and statistical physics. She has made significant contributions to understanding preferential attachment models, zero-range processes, and random Boolean trees. Her work bridges theoretical probability with applications in statistical physics and combinatorics. Analysis of her recent publications shows a strong focus on random tree structures, branching processes, and reinforcement learning algorithms, with applications spanning from network theory to statistical mechanics. Her research demonstrates sophisticated mathematical techniques applied to complex stochastic systems, particularly those with reinforcement mechanisms and memory effects. Associate Editor of the Applied Probability Trust (since October 2020) Associate Editor of Stochastic Processes and Their Applications (since March 2022) Author of a general introduction to Pólya urns for the LMS Newsletter (November 2020) Co-organizer of the "Random Walks: Applications and Interactions" conference at CIRM (January 2026) She actively supervises PhD students working on topics including the multi-city ants process, Pólya urns with growing initial composition, large deviations for the Monkey walk, and competing growth processes. She has secured research funding through EPSRC fellowships and has been involved in multiple collaborative projects with prominent researchers in probability theory. Mailler regularly teaches mini-courses on advanced probability topics at international summer schools and workshops, demonstrating her commitment to knowledge dissemination in the field.
Balint Virag is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. program graduation in 2000 with a dissertation titled "Random Walks and Geometry on Graphs of Exponential Growth," supervised by Yuval Peres. His research focuses on probabilistic processes and graph theory. Email: balint@math.toronto.edu Research interests include Probability , Random Walks , and Graph Theory , with applications in theoretical computer science and stochastic processes.
Professor Barak Weiss is a distinguished faculty member in the School of Mathematical Sciences at Tel Aviv University's Faculty of Exact Sciences. His research focuses on the intersection of dynamical systems, number theory, and geometry, particularly in the areas of homogeneous dynamics, ergodic theory, and Diophantine approximation. Professor Weiss has made significant contributions to the understanding of translation surfaces, lattice orbits, and the dynamics of flows on homogeneous spaces. His work often bridges pure mathematics with applications in number theory and geometry, revealing profound connections between seemingly disparate fields. His research on horocycle dynamics, measure rigidity for fractal carpets, and the classification of cut-and-project sets has advanced our understanding of geometric structures and their dynamical properties. His recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a strong focus on equidistribution phenomena, statistical properties of dynamical systems, and the application of homogeneous dynamics to problems in geometric number theory. A notable trend in his work is the interplay between geometric structures and their arithmetic properties, particularly in the context of Diophantine approximation. Professor Weiss actively organizes the "Homogeneous Dynamics and Applications" seminar at Tel Aviv University, which has been running continuously since at least 2014 with detailed schedules available through 2025. This seminar serves as a hub for cutting-edge research discussions, featuring both local and international speakers working on dynamical systems and related areas. He teaches advanced courses in analysis and supervises graduate students, with recent teaching assignments including Real Analysis for summer semester 2025. His office is located in Schreiber building, room 329, and his regular office hours are Tuesdays from 15:00-16:00.
Pietro de Anna is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTE), University of Lausanne, since August 2021. He holds an Italian nationality and completed a Master's in Theoretical Physics (2009) at the University of Florence, followed by a PhD in Earth Sciences at the University of Rennes 1 (2012). His research focuses on reactive transport in porous media, filtration, and interactions between bacteriological activity and flow dynamics. He directs the Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory since 2015, employing microfluidics, numerical simulations, and theoretical models to study coupled physical, biological, and chemical mechanisms in confined systems. He has published 21 peer-reviewed articles, teaches environmental science courses at the Bachelor's and Master's levels, and supervised two PhD theses and four postdoctoral researchers. His work includes investigations into microbial biomass accumulation in porous media, diffusion-limited mixing, and biocementation processes. Key research themes are spatial heterogeneity effects, chemotaxis, and quorum sensing in microbial systems. He has pioneered methods combining microfluidics with microscopy to analyze transport at pore scales.
Dr. Tim Conrad is a researcher at the Zuse Institute Berlin in the Visual and data-centric computing department under the Mathematics of Complex Systems division. He leads projects at the intersection of computational biology, AI, and medical data analysis. Projects: Geometric Learning for Single-Cell RNA Velocity Modeling, MODAL MedLab, Sparse Compressed Sensing in -Omics Data, BIFOLD (Big Data and Machine Learning) Research Networks: Affiliated with MATH+ and MODAL Research Campus His research focuses on applying machine learning , network optimization , and sparse data analysis to biological and medical challenges including disease modeling, microbiome dynamics, and ECG classification. Recent work explores hybrid PDE-ODE epidemic models and federated learning in healthcare. 2023-2025 publications highlight trends in AI for biological networks , temporal community detection , and medical signal processing . He co-authored studies on SARS-CoV-2 simulations, proteomics feature selection, and multi-label ECG analysis. His 2004 doctoral thesis at Monash University laid foundations for later work in metabolic pathway analysis. Awarded as a Zuse Fellow , he contributes to open science initiatives like FAIR data sharing . Collaborations span institutions including Freie Universität Berlin and Charité in medical informatics and clinical applications.
Alireza Salehi Golsefidy is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He received his Ph.D. from Yale University under Gregory Margulis, a Fields Medalist. His research focuses on algebraic, arithmetic, and analytic properties of linear groups, homogeneous dynamical systems, and expander graphs. He has held positions at Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study as a Veblen Research Instructor before joining UCSD in 2011. Education: Ph.D. in Mathematics, Yale University (2006). Research Interests: His work bridges discrete subgroups of Lie groups, homogeneous dynamics, and number theory. Recent contributions include studies on super-approximation, spectral independence, and geometric group theory. He has organized workshops on thin groups, arithmetic groups, and homogeneous dynamics at MSRI and Oberwolfach. Grants & Awards: Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (2012), Clay Liftoff Award (2006), NSF grants 1602137, 1902090, and 2302519. His research explores applications of expander graphs and random walks in algebraic structures. Teaching: Currently teaching Algebra (Math 200C) in Spring 2025. Past courses include advanced algebraic topology, representation theory, and graduate-level number theory. Labs/Teams: Co-organizes UCSD's Algebra Seminar and contributed to the 2013 Lie Theory Workshop. Active in collaborative projects on group actions and automorphic forms.
Nicole Wein is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan, where she is a member of the Theory of Computation Lab within the Computer Science and Engineering Division. Her research focuses on theoretical computer science, particularly graph algorithms and lower bounds across various domains including distance-estimation, dynamic, parameterized, distributed, and online algorithms. Education: PhD in Computer Science from MIT, advised by Virginia Vassilevska Williams Master's in Computer Science from Stanford University B.S. in Computer Science/Mathematics from Harvey Mudd College Nicole's research centers on theoretical aspects of graph algorithms and computational complexity. She investigates fundamental questions about how algorithms can efficiently handle changing data, extract information from graphs in linear time, and understand the structure of shortest paths, especially in directed graphs. Her work spans multiple algorithmic paradigms including dynamic algorithms that adapt to changing inputs, parameterized approaches for hard problems, and fine-grained complexity that establishes precise relationships between problem difficulty. Analysis of Nicole's recent publications reveals a strong focus on graph algorithms, particularly shortest path problems, spanners, and hardness results. Her work often bridges theoretical insights with practical implications, developing novel techniques for distance estimation, dynamic graph processing, and approximation algorithms. A significant portion of her research examines the structural properties of graphs that enable or constrain efficient computation, with applications across computer science. Nicole actively mentors students at various levels. She currently advises PhD student Jubayer Nirjhor and has worked with undergraduate researchers including Sam Hiken (now a pre-doc at MIT), Michael Wang, and Tony Zhang. Her teaching includes foundational courses like EECS 376: Foundations of Computer Science and specialized courses such as EECS 598: Graph Algorithms. Nicole contributes to the academic community through service as a program committee member for major conferences including SOSA 2025, FOCS 2025, SODA 2025, and others. She co-organized the June 2023 DIMACS workshop on Modern Techniques in Graph Algorithms and previously organized Algorithms Office Hours at MIT to improve communication between theory and applications of algorithms.