Louis Chen Hsiao Yun

Louis Chen Hsiao Yun earned his BSc (2nd Upper Class) from University of Singapore in 1964 and completed his MSc as well as PhD at Stanford University in 1969 and 1971 respectively. In 1972, he joined the Mathematics Department of the then University of Singapore as a Lecturer. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1977, Associate Professor in 1981 and Professor in 1989.

Academic Career

Chen held several administrative appointments at the National University of Singapore (NUS). At NUS' Faculty of Science, he was Head of the Department of Mathematics from July 1996 to June 2000 and Head of the Department of Statistics and Applied Probability from July 2002 to June 2004. He is also Director of NUS’ Institute for Mathematical Sciences, a post he has held since July 2000. In July 2006, he was appointed Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor.

Research, Honours and Awards

Chen's research interests include Stein's method of poisson approximation which deals with the probability that rare events will occur. This method and technique is widely applied in many areas ranging from molecular biology to computer science.

Chen served as a Council member of the International Statistical Institute from August 1997 to August 1999 and was the first Asian to be elected President of the Bernoulli Society for Mathematical Statistics and Probability from August 1997 to July 1999. He was the first East Asian to be elected President of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics from August 2004 to July 2005.

Chen has numerous local as well as international awards and honours. These include his election as Fellow of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World in 2000; a Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2002; and the conferment by the French Government of the title of Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques in 2005 for his service to education.

External links

• Louis H. Y. CHEN, Institute for Mathematical Sciences, National University of Singapore