Professor Xuerong Mao stands as a preeminent scholar in mathematical statistics and stochastic analysis, commanding international recognition for his transformative contributions to the field. He currently holds the distinguished 1969 Chair of Statistics within the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Strathclyde, representing one of the most prestigious academic positions in Scottish mathematics. As a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE), he occupies a position among Scotland's most accomplished scientific minds, reflecting decades of scholarly excellence and leadership. His career trajectory has been marked by sustained theoretical innovation and rigorous mathematical development that has shaped contemporary approaches to stochastic systems across multiple scientific disciplines.
Professor Mao's groundbreaking research in stochastic differential equations has fundamentally reshaped the mathematical understanding of random processes in dynamical systems, with his seminal monograph Stochastic Differential Equations and Applications establishing itself as the definitive reference work in the field. His development of stability criteria for stochastic systems has enabled significant theoretical advances in understanding how randomness affects long-term behavior in complex mathematical models, providing essential tools for researchers across numerous application domains. With an impressive citation count exceeding 41,000 according to Google Scholar, his work represents one of the most influential bodies of research in modern applied probability theory, particularly in stochastic stability and numerical solution methods for stochastic processes. The practical impact of his theoretical contributions extends across quantitative finance, engineering reliability analysis, and biological modeling, where his mathematical frameworks have become indispensable for handling uncertainty in sophisticated systems.
Beyond his individual research achievements, Professor Mao has played a pivotal role in advancing the global mathematical community through extensive mentorship of doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who have established successful careers worldwide. His receipt of the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award underscores the continued significance of his scholarly contributions and supports his ongoing investigation into cutting-edge problems at the intersection of stochastic analysis and computational mathematics. He maintains active editorial roles in leading mathematics journals, ensuring rigorous scholarly standards while guiding the evolution of research methodologies in probability theory. Professor Mao's current work focuses on extending stochastic analysis to emerging applications in machine learning algorithms and complex network systems, demonstrating how foundational mathematical theory continues to address contemporary challenges in data science and artificial intelligence.