Mathematical Sciences Sponsorship Fund

Andreas Kyprianou

Andreas Kyprianou studied at the Universities of Oxford and Sheffield, and held academic positions at the London School of Economics, Edinburgh University, Utrecht University and at Heriot Watt University before coming to Bath in 2006. He holds a professorship in mathematics, with research interests in Lévy processes, self-similar Markov processes and stochastic particle processes which branch and/or coalesce. He has published over 90 articles in mainstream probability journals as well as being the author of two text books. He is the co-founder and current director of Prob-L@B: the Probability Laboratory at Bath. Since 2014, he is also PI and co-director of the multi-million pound EPSRC doctoral training centre SAMBa (Statistical Applied Mathematics at Bath) which will host upwards of 50 PhD students over its initial five years of intake.

Project Editorial: Bernoulli - ISI World Congress pre meeting for young researchers

The Bernoulli society is one of the most esteemed societies in the field of probability, statistics and stochastics. Every four years, it hosts a world congress lasting one week. This is a huge event that sees a rich variety of parallel and invited sessions coupled with special named lectures and hundreds of attendees. In 2016, the Bernoulli World Congress will be hosted in the week of 11-15^th July, this year in collaboration with the International Statistical Institute. Since 2012, an additional feature to this long-standing symposium series has been instituted. Preceding the World Congress, there is a two-day meeting focused predominantly at young participants (typically PhD/postdoc level) and participants from developing countries. The event consists of lectures/mini-courses at an appropriate level on a selected theme, as well as some additional lectures/open discussion concerning the development of an academic career, gender issues, publishing, grants etc. Representatives of learned societies and publishers will also be invited to attend. For this, the second such event in the series, the academic theme of the event is Big Data: Statistical, Computational and Mathematical Issues. This is an emerging field which offers many opportunities and low hanging fruit to young researchers. The generous funds committed by Elsevier join with those of other sponsors (The Bernoulli Society, The Fields Institute, ISI, The World Bank and Springer) to form a total of circa USD 27,500, the overwhelming majority of which will go towards scholarships that will financially assist young researchers in attending both the Bernoulli pre-meeting and the World Congress thereafter.

Annamaria Barbagallo

Annamaria Barbagallo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Applications “Renato Caccioppoli” at University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy. She received her degree in Mathematics in 2003 at University of Catania, Italy. She earned her PhD degree in Computation and Information Sciences in 2007 at University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy. From March 1st to October 15th, 2007 she held a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Operations Research, Computation & Analysis of Systems Research Group, at Department of Mathematics & Statistics of University of Guelph, Canada. From November 2nd, 2007 to December 15, 2010 she held a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship on Mathematical Analysis at University of Catania, Italy. From December 16, 2010 to September 30, 2015 she was a Researcher in the Department of Mathematics and Applications “Renato Caccioppoli” at University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy. Her research interests involve the variational and quasi-variational inequality theory, network equilibrium problems, the infinite-dimensional duality theory, hyperbolic partial differential equations, the differential inclusion theory. She participated to many national and international conference giving, also on invitation, communications. She is a member of Editorial Boards of several international journals. Moreover, she is director and member of the organizer committee of several international conferences.

Project Editorial: 66th International Workshop Advances in Convex Analysis and Optimization

The 66th International Workshop “Advances in Convex Analysis and Optimization” will take place from July 5 to 12, 2016 at “Ettore Majorana” Foundation and Center for Scientific Culture located in Erice (Sicily), Italy.

The aim of the Workshop is to review and discuss recent developments of the theories of Convex Analysis and Optimization and to provide a forum for fruitful interactions in closely related fields of research and their applications. Particular emphasis will be placed on novel ideas and promising research developments.

Thanks to the support from the Elsevier Mathematics Sciences Sponsorship Fund, two scholarships have been established to provide financial assistance to young researchers who are either PhD students or got their PhD degree less than three years ago.  These scholarships will allow them not only to participate in the workshop but also to give a contributed talk. Assistance is provided towards conference fees, accommodation and local expenses for attending the conference.

Balanz Szendroi and Michael Gahirima

Balazs Szendroi was raised in Budapest and completed undergraduate and graduate studies in Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. After having taught at Warwick, Utrecht and the University of Washington in Seattle, he has been working in Oxford since 2005, where he is currently Professor of Pure Mathematics and Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford. He is interested in algebraic geometry, a far-reaching generalisation of coordinate geometry in school level mathematics. His research has connections also to the theory of discrete stuctures (combinatorics), modern theoretical physics (more precisely string theory) and the theory of symmetry (officially known as representation theory). For the last few years, he have been engaged in a number of research and teaching initiatives in East Africa, and has been Scientific Coordinator of the EAUMP (East African Universities Mathematics Programme) Summer Schools since 2013, coordinating schools in Mombasa, Arusha and Kampala. He has also been on the council of AIMS-SA, the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences in South Africa, since 2014.

Michael Gahirima is a Rwandan, currently Lecturer at the College of Science and Technology of the University of Rwanda. He is the EAUMP Network Coordinator for his institution. He has a B.Sc. degree in Mathematics and Chemistry from Makerere University, Uganda, where he graduated in 1979. In 2005, he also earned an M.Sc. degree in Mathematics from PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore, South India.

Project Editorial: 2016 EAUMP-ICTP School in Number Theory

The 2016 ICTP-EAUMP School in Number Theory is the latest in the series of EAUMP schools, a series started in 2004. The School will familiarize participants, Masters and doctoral students and young faculty from sub-Saharan Africa, with trends in modern number theory. Topics covered will include finite fields, p-adic numbers, elliptic curves and modular forms. The School will also be a forum for young scientists from different countries to meet and to socialize, to get to know senior mathematicians from the region and elsewhere, to start collaborations, and to explore opportunities for further study. Funding from the Elsevier Mathematical Sciences Sponsorship Fund 2016 will allow the organizers to fund the participation of about 5-8 worthy participants from sub-Saharan countries, covering their travel expenses to Rwanda and local expenses.

Gurpreet Singh

I am a research student in University College Dublin (2014- Present). I was in school when I decided to do research in Mathematics as my mathematics teacher inspired me a lot. After completing my education in Holy Child School (2010), India , I joined University of Delhi (India) and completed my undergraduate degree in mathematics in  2013. Then I got funding for my master's programme in mathematics in University College Dublin which was a great opportunity for me to have an international experience and to explore different areas of mathematics. I did my master's from University College Dublin under the supervision of Dr. Marius Ghergu (2013-2014). Then I received Research Demonstratorship in University College Dublin for my PhD programme and since then I am doing my research under the supervision of Dr. Marius Ghergu.

Project Editorial: Partial Differential Equations and their Applications

This funding will help me to attend the 7th European Congress of Mathematics (7th ECM) in Berlin, Germany from 18-22 July 2016. This would be a great opportunity for me to present my research in front of great mathematicians from all around the world and it will help me in improving my relationships with other great mathematicians from my own field.

Without this funding, it would be difficult for me to attend such an international event . This funding will cover my registration, visa fees and travel expenses. Thanks a lot for all your support and considering my application.

Henk Bruin

Henk Bruin studied at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (MSc in 1990 under Prof. Henk Broer) and at Delft University of Technology (PhD in 1994 under Sebastian van Strien and Jan Aarts). He had postdoc positions at University of Erlangen-Nuermberg, KTH Stockholm, CalTech and Groningen (KNAW-fellowship), before accepting a permanent position at the University of Surrey (UK) in 2003. In 2012 he accepted a full professorship at Vienna University where he is currently representing the field of Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems. In this area, he has published most of his work, with many co-authors. He has supervised/ is supervising 8 PhD students and postdocs, and he has (co)organised numerous workshops in dynamical systems and topology. In addition, he is Editor for "Topology and its Applications" and "Monatshefte fuer Mathematik".

Project Editorial: Taking the measure of one-dimensional dynamics

Whereas the days of an academic seem increasing filled with administrative chores of running a department, teaching and contact hours with students, and with additional editorial work, outreach, and administering research proposals, the "workshop" is a central feature in actual research. It is the time of true exchange of ideas and communication between (international) colleagues and getting to know new players in the field (that is, new postdocs). The current workshop at the Lorentz Center is intended to showcase achievements in one-dimensional dynamics, and, if not more, to outline new directions. It is therefore wonderful to have many founders of this field together for a week. Predominantly, the Elsevier funding will enable some of the young researcher to encounter some of the central figures in the area, and for me it is important to meet this group as it provides a first-hand measurement of how lively and regenerating the area is, and a chance to meet potential future colleagues at the university.

Paige North

Paige North completed her undergraduate studies in mathematics at the University of Chicago. She is currently a PhD student in pure mathematics at the University of Cambridge. Her interests are in homotopy type theory and higher category theory.

Project Editorial: Participation in homotopy type theory workshops

The grant money will allow Paige to participate in two workshops on homotopy type theory. The first workshop takes place at the Max-Planck-Institut in Bonn, Germany. The second workshop takes place at the Fields Institute, Toronto, Canada. There, Paige will present some results of her PhD.

Dr. Ruiz Baier

Dr. Ruiz Baier is an applied mathematician working in the development and analysis of numerical methods for the solution of partial differential equations. His particular focus is on finite element and finite volume methods, mixed and augmented formulations, adaptivity and error estimation, and several other topics related to computational mathematics. He has also contributed to applications in cardiac biomechanics, multiphase flow in porous media, and population dynamics.

He completed his PhD in Mathematical Engineering from University of Concepcion, Chile in 2008. Then moved to the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland for a postdoc, subsequently was employed as senior researcher at the University of Lausanne, and currently holds a Lecturer position at the Mathematical Institute of Oxford University.

Project Editorial: Conferences Numerical Analysis

The funds granted by the Elsevier Mathematical Sciences Sponsorship will be employed to attend two major conferences in Numerical Analysis and Computational Mechanics, respectively. They will be of utmost importance in disseminating recent results by Dr. Ruiz Baier in the fields of mixed finite elements and cardiac electromechanics, and in the fostering of new collaborations.

The first event corresponds to the traditional "Mathematics of Finite Elements and Applications" to be held in Brunel University, UK during 14-17 June 2016. Jointly with R. Oyarzua, Dr. Ruiz Baier organizes a minisymposium on "Numerical methods for viscous flow in porous media", where he is also delivering a talk involving collaborators from Chile and India.

The second event is the "12th World Congress on Computational Mechanics", taking place in Seoul, Korea during July 24-29, 2016. Dr. Ruiz Baier has been invited to participate in the special session "Nonlinear Cardiac Dynamics and Multiphysics Coupling", organized by A. Gizzi and K.M. Lim and will present his recent results on "Mixed-primal methods for the electromechanics of the heart", developed in collaboration with researchers from UK, Switzerland, and USA.

High impact results are  expected, and most needed especially in the areas where Ruiz Baier is starting to exhibit more important productivity (as multiphase flows and porous media applications).

Sean Lawton

Sean Lawton is an Associate Professor in mathematics at George Mason University.  His work concerns the structure of moduli spaces; that is, "spaces of spaces".  He is also the founding director of the Mason Experimental Geometry Lab (http://meglab.wikidot.com) where he conducts experimental research, visualization projects, and organizes community outreach in mathematics.

Project Editorial: Virtual Reality Research and Outreach

One of the visualization programs at the Mason Experimental Geometry Lab (http://meglab.wikidot.com) is to develop exploratory tools for mathematical research with virtual reality. Additionally, we develop outreach and educational tools with virtual reality to foster excitement and learning in young people.  This award will help purchase virtual reality equipment needed for this development.

Thomas Woolley

Dr Thomas Woolley has been doing mathematics at University of Oxford since 2004 and now specialises in mathematical biology as a Junior Research Fellow at St John’s College. His doctorate focused on the applications of Alan Turing’s patterning theory to biology and in particular the effects of randomness and skin growth of the appearance of animal pigmentation. He continues this research in collaboration with experimentalists in Edinburgh. In particular, they are trying to discover the biological mechanisms behind whisker placement and formation in mice. Further, he has been invited to the Ohio State University for four months in 2017 in order to research models of zebrafish patterning.

Alongside this work Thomas collaborates with the University of Reading and researches mathematical models of stem cell movement. By coupling accurate mechanical models of the cell structure to a random protrusion model he is able to link cellular movement data, which is easy to generate, back to membrane properties of the cell, which are difficult to measure. The hope is that by understanding how stem cells move we can influence them and, thus, speed up the healing process.

When not doing mathematics he is a keen participant in mathematical outreach workshops and has given a variety of popular maths lectures nationally and internationally. He has previously worked for the BBC, illustrated Prof. Marcus du Sautoy's popular science book, “The Number Mysteries”, and he recently worked on the popular maths show "Dara O'Briains school of hard sums". He is currently the Fellow of Modern Mathematics at the London Science Museum and is helping redesign their mathematics gallery.

Project Editorial: 11^th AIMS Conference on Dynamical Systems, Differential Equations and Applications

I had always enjoyed mathematics, however, it was during my third year undergraduate course of “Mathematical Biology” that I first knew that I wanted to be a researcher. Critically, it was the first course where I felt that the application of the mathematics provided answers that were physical, realistic and useful. Further, these results could be used to either confirm or alter a biologist’s hypothesis. The rigorous power mathematics gave the user to test old ideas and predict new outcomes was revolutionary in my education and I followed this route ever since.

Of course, as I was trained as a mathematician, I had to pick up a lot of biological ideas and integrate these into my knowledge. Further, I have had to develop exemplary communication skills in order to translate ideas back and forth between the theoretical and experimental collaborators.

Crucially, by being an interdisciplinary scientist, I have to attend both mathematical and biological conferences separately, since there are few that cater to both audiences. Unfortunately, this can make dissemination of ideas slow as time and money are usually resources in low supply. However, gaining this Elsevier Mathematical Sciences Sponsorship Award has allowed me to attend a mathematical conference in Orlando, Florida. Consequently, the award has sped up the spread of my ideas, allowed me to expand my network of collaborators and hear about the cutting edge of new mathematical techniques in dynamical systems. My aim is to learn, adapt and apply these ideas to new biological problems, thus extending and diversifying my portfolio of skills and interests.

Dr. Amjad Ali

Dr. Amjad Ali applied on behalf of the organizers of the Centre for Advanced Studies in Pure and Applied Mathematics (CASPAM), Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) for funding the 2nd CASPAM Regional Student Olympiad of Mathematics (CRSOM-2).

Amjad Ali is currently a faculty member at Centre for Advanced Studies in Pure and Applied Mathematics (CASPAM), Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), Multan, Pakistan. He completed his graduation in Computational Mathematics from BZU, Pakistan in 2001, received his M.S./M.Phil. degree in Computer Software Engineering from NUST, Pakistan in 2005, and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from BZU in 2013. His research interests include Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), High Performance Computing (HPC) and Parallel Computing. He has experience of developing parallel versions of some serial CFD applications as well as installation and management of cluster systems. He is also an experienced trainer for high performance parallel computing at national and international levels. Amjad Ali is playing a key role in organizing CRSOM-2 2015 (2nd CASPAM Regional Student Olympiad of Mathematics), just like his active role for CRSOM-1 2014.

Christopher M. Drupieski, PhD.

Christopher M. Drupieski, PhD., applied for attendance at the conference "Groups Representations, and Cohomology," from June 23-26, 2015, at Sabha I Mor Ostaig, Isle of Skye, Scotland.

Christopher Drupieski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Christopher earned his PhD in Mathematics in 2009 under the supervision of Brian Parshall at the University of Virginia, specializing in the representation theory of algebraic groups, Lie algebras, quantized enveloping algebras, and related structures. After earning his PhD, Christopher held a VIGRE Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Georgia from 2009–2012, and was an active member of the University of Georgia VIGRE Algebra Group, a vertically-integrated research group comprised of faculty, postdocs, and graduate students. Christopher then joined the faculty at DePaul University in 2012. Christopher’s current research interests involve the representation theory and cohomology of algebraic groups and related structures, including Lie algebras, finite groups of Lie type, quantized enveloping algebras and quantum groups, Lie superalgebras, and strict polynomial functors. Christopher has 11 published papers in these areas, and has given conference and seminar presentations on these topics throughout the United States and Europe. His research has been supported by various internal grants from DePaul University, and was supported from 2013–2015 by an AMS–Simons Travel Grant. Christopher was awarded a Project NExT (New Experiences in Teaching) Fellowship from the Mathematical Association of America in 2010–2011. More recently, Christopher has been actively involved in the mathematical preparation of future elementary school teachers.

Dr. Veselin Jungic

Dr. Veselin Jungic applied on behalf of the organizers of Interdisciplinary Research in the Mathematical and Computational Sciences (IRMACS) to fund travel grants for young researchers at the Connections in Discrete Mathematics conference held at Simon Fraser University from June 15-19, 2015.

Dr. Veselin Jungic is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and a Deputy Director of the IRMACS Centre, Simon Fraser University. Most of his work is within Ramsey theory and the field of mathematics education. Dr. Jungic is a 3M National Teaching Fellow and a recipient of the Canadian Mathematical Society Excellence in Teaching Award.

Connections in Discrete Mathematics is a conference that is bringing together many prominent researchers in combinatorics, graph theory, number theory, computer science, and more. This gives young researchers a unique opportunity to participate in and connect with both young and senior researchers. The funding available through the Elsevier Mathematical Sciences Sponsorship Fund will help support the travel of several young researchers who might otherwise be unable to participate in this conference. The global nature of Elsevier is being mirrored in how the funding is being used to bring young researchers together from around the world.

Dominic Martignetti

Dominic Martignetti, ICSE Research Fellow, applied on behalf of The International Centre for Statistical Education for funding a Statistical Awareness Curriculum for Young Researchers.

Read more here

Dr. So Okado

Dr. So Okado applied for the Math Competition in Oyama College which has previously been funded by himself at the National Institute of Technology, Oyama College, Japan.

So Okada, an associate professor of Mathematics at National Institute of Technology, Oyama College, Tochigi Japan; born in Recife Brazil in 1976;received BA and MA at International Christian University,Tokyo Japan; received PhD in 2006 at University of Massachusetts Amherst; full-time research fellow (postdoc visiting researcher) at Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, Bonn Germany, Sep 1 2006 - Oct 31 2007; full-time visiting research fellow at Institute des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques, Bures-surYvette France, Dec 5 2007 - Feb 24 2008, Nov 1 - Nov 30 2008, Nov 1 - Dec 31 2009, Nov 1 - Dec 31 2010; full-time research associate at Australian National University, Canberra Australia, May 9 2008 -Apr 14 2009; program-specific researcher (Global Center of Excellence) May 1 2009 - Mar 31 2011 and researcher (Global Center of Excellence) Apr 1 2009 - Sep 30 2012, Research Institute of Mathematical Sciences of Kyoto University, Kyoto Japan.

I would like to gratefully thank Elsevier Mathematical Sciences Sponsorship Fund to support the mathematics competition at National Institute of Technology, Oyama College. The intended impact of the competition is to encourage students to tackle and enjoy mathematics. The competition involves a one-day exam. Top scorers are awarded certificates of excellence. Prize monies are supported by Elsevier MSSF. In previous years, I spent my own money. When I was a graduate student in US, I noticed the undergraduate mathematics competition of the department. I found the idea is nice for students. I bet students at NIT Oyama College will benefit greatly from their mathematics competition supported by Elsevier MSSF.

Dr. Shawn Ryan

Dr. Shawn Ryan applied for the ICIAM 2015 Young Researcher Travel Funding to present his “Collective Dynamics in Active Biological Systems” in the minisymposium session titled ``Recent developments in modeling, simulation, and analysis of math models arising from Biology” at ICIAM 2015.

I am an applied mathematician who specializes in solving problems originating at the interface of mathematics, physics, and biology taking advantage of the tools and data present in each field to build better models. The unifying theme among all my research topics is interactions (interparticle, molecular, fluid-mediated, ...) leading to the emergence of natural phenomena. My work consists of developing differential equations based models for biosystems and materials that predict the emergence of collective behavior and result in dramatic changes in the system’s effective properties. Mathematical analysis and simulations are used to uncover deeper understanding of the systems under consideration. I have always enjoyed learning new techniques as well as facing new challenges in hopes of applying my results to better understand the world around us.

My mathematical journey began at the University of Akron where I completed my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Applied Mathematics in their five year BS/MS program. Through hard work and a love of mathematics I was able to complete both degrees in four total years. I was also the first student at the University of Akron to be named a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar. In the summer between my second and third year I participated in a Mathematics REU at the University of Akron. It was at this point I discovered my passion for research and discovering new ideas. From this great experience, I was able to produce my first publication as well as my Masters thesis under the direction of Prof. D. Golovaty and Prof. J. P. Wilber. The main project was developing differential equations based models for interacting graphene sheets, components of carbon nanotubes.

Upon completion of my studies, I started to pursue a Ph. D. in Mathematics at Penn State University where I was fortunate enough to be awarded a University Graduate Fellowship to support my studies for five years. Here I was first exposed to what has become my research passion: mathematical biology. Over the next five years, under the direction of Prof. L. Berlyand, I developed models of bacterial suspensions and the resulting effective properties that emerge in the course of collective swimming. The study of complex structures and novel phase transitions exhibited by such simple systems continue to be the driving force behind my current research. A crucial part of my development was the three summers I spent as a research aide at Argonne National Laboratory with Dr. I. Aronson. Interacting with experimentalists working with the actual organisms I was trying to model provided a new perspective on how intricate active biosystems can be. Also, while at PSU I was able to teach numerous foundational courses such as differential equations and linear algebra. By this point I realized that my mission would be to combine my love for research and teaching into an ideal permanent job.

To this end, after the completion of my Ph. D. in Mathematics, I began a position as a Postdoctoral Research Associate with a dual appointment in the Department of Mathematical Sciences and Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University working with Prof. 1 P. Palffy-Muhoray and Prof. X. Zheng. Through this first year as a postdoc my research program is starting to develop. One project focuses on mathematical models used to study problems in material science developing an effective von Neumann law for interacting cells on the surface of a sphere evolving via curvature motion. Another project, in collaboration with Prof. C. Xue at Ohio State, involves the development of novel differential equations based models capable of capturing cell dynamics and aggregation through fluid-mediated interactions and chemical signaling. The final project involves individual work on ant foraging dynamics and an examination of the phase transition to an ordered state consisting of local traffic lane formation. Soon I will be looking for a permanent position as an Assistant Professor so that I can continue doing the work I love in an expended capacity.

As a broader goal, getting children interested in careers in math and science has always interested me. This past fall, in collaboration with Upward Bound at Kent State, Prof. B. Jaye, Dr. S. Nitzan, and myself organized a math skills academy with the purpose of showing local high school students the beauty of studying mathematics through interactive problem solving. In addition, the Palffy-Muhoray/Zheng research group at Kent State volunteered at the Akron Public Schools’ Science Fair to show participants and their families tricks and illusions from physics and mathematics. I will continue trying to find opportunities for outreach to younger people, because the need for skilled scientists is only growing with the advent of newer technology.

Prof. Derrick Stolee

Prof. Derrick Stolee applied on behalf of Iowa State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Wyoming, University of Colorado Denver, and University of Denver for the Graduate Research Workshop in Combinatorics.

Derrick Stolee is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Iowa State University. His expertise is in computational combinatorics, graph theory, and theory of computer science. The Graduate Research Workshop in Combinatorics is a 2-week workshop where graduate students, postdocs, and faculty from around the world collaborate on research problems in combinatorics and graph theory. Students select the problems and work in groups to make initial progress during the workshop and continue the collaboration after the workshop to produce quality research papers. Primary support for the workshop comes from the organizing institutions and the National Science Foundation, but the Elsevier Sciences Sponsorship Fund specifically provides funds for four students from institutions outside the United States to participate in the workshop. These students are of the highest quality and will be excellent participants

Gilles Stupfler, PhD.

Gilles Stupfler, PhD., applied to give an invited talk on his paper on extreme multivariate quantile estimation at the EVA 2015 Conference, Ann Arbor USA.

My name is Gilles STUPFLER. I was born in Strasbourg, France on May 15, 1988. Having shown interest in mathematics from an early age, I enrolled in the highly competitive two-year French cycle of « classes préparatoires scientifiques » following my baccalauréat - the French high school diploma – in 2004. I then attended the University of Strasbourg, where I opted to study pure and applied mathematics. I obtained my B.Sc in 2007 and my M.Sc in 2009. It was during my M.Sc that I developed a specific interest in applied mathematics, specifically in probability and statistics. After my graduation, I asked for and was awarded a three-year doctoral grant from the French Ministry of Higher Education, which allowed me to undertake a Ph.D in statistics under the supervision of Armelle GUILLOU and Stéphane GIRARD, full professor at the University of Strasbourg and senior research scientist at INRIA Rhône-Alpes, respectively. I defended my Ph.D thesis, titled « A hidden Markov model in insurance and frontier and endpoint estimation » on November 10, 2011; for this work, I was awarded a thesis prize, worth €1500, by the University of Strasbourg in June 2012. During the French job market interviews in May 2012, I obtained a position of assistant professor at the Department of Economics of the University of Aix-Marseille, vacant from September 1, 2012, which I am currently holding. Although my research interests are diverse, I am mostly working in extreme value statistics, namely the study of rare events such as extreme rainfall, high temperatures, record losses by insurance companies... Part of my contributions to this field consist in accounting for the presence of random covariates in practical situations so as to improve the statistical analysis of data, using nonparametric techniques. I have lately become interested in understanding univariate extremes under missing-at-random frameworks such as censoring or truncation. Outside of extremes, I have written a couple of articles about modeling counting and loss processes in actuarial applications with Markov processes.

This grant greatly contributes to my participation in the EVA 2015 conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, by covering the registration fee and the costs for accomodation during a full week. EVA conferences occur every second year and are the main international meeting as far as extremes are concerned; for a young researcher working in this area like me, it is the major place to be in order to get known by senior specialists. It allows me to accept the invitation of Stéphane GIRARD, who is a senior research scientist at INRIA Rhône-Alpes, Grenoble, France, to present my work in his invited session on extreme quantiles and regression, which is a vibrant field, alongside internationally-renowned specialists of this topic. I hope that I will be able to get people interested in my research activities and establish research ties with foreign scientists during this conference so as to make further progress in my early career stage.