Ding Jian

Peking University, October 31, 2023: Professor Ding Jian from Peking University School of Mathematical Sciences has won the Loève Prize, formally The Line and Michel Loeve International Prize in Probability, becoming the first Chinese mathematician to win this prestigious award, according to the organizer. 

Ding’s primary research interests encompass probability theory, particularly its connections with statistical physics, theory of computer science, and statistical inference. His work delves into various areas, such as random walks, Gaussian processes, random constraint satisfaction problems, random planar geometry, spin models, random Schrodinger operators, and network recovery problems. 

He acquired his undergraduate degree at Peking University in 2006, and his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley in 2011. Ding’s academic journey led him to positions as an assistant professor and associate professor at the Department of Statistics at the University of Chicago. He also served as an associate professor and held the prestigious Gilbert Helman professorship at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. 

Throughout his career, Ding has been recognized with several prestigious awards and honors, including the Rollo Davidson Prize, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, and the NSF Career Award. His expertise and contributions to the field were acknowledged when he was invited to present a report at the International Congress of Mathematicians 2022 and deliver an IMS Medallion Lecture in 2023. Furthermore, he is slated to provide another report at the International Congress in Mathematical Physics (ICMP) 2024. 

Recipients of the Loève Prize

The Loève Prize was established in honor of Michel Loève, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) from 1948 until his untimely death in 1979. His widow, Line Loève , shortly before her death in 1992 gave a very generous bequest to UC Berkeley, which consisted of two parts—the Loève Fellowships and the Loève Prize. The Loève Fellowships support graduate students studying probability, while the Loève Prize, formally known as The Line and Michel Loève International Prize in Probability, is awarded every two years to recognize stellar contributions by researchers in probability who are under 45 years old.

The 2023 Prize will be awarded to Ding Jian at a ceremony in Berkeley on November 13. 

Written by: Wang Jia En
Edited by: Shi Xinyao
Source: Peking University School of Mathematical Sciences