Gérard Ben Arous serves as Dean of the Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science, a position he assumed on 13 November 2025. A French-American mathematician, he maintains a long-standing academic career focused on the application of probability theory to complex physical systems, statistical mechanics, and the evolution of disordered media.
Academic Foundations and Early Career
Between 1977 and 1981, Ben Arous studied at the École Normale Supérieure. He obtained a master's degree in statistics from the University of Paris-Sud in 1979, followed by a Master of Science degree from the University of Paris VI in 1980. In 1981, he earned his Ph.D. from Paris Diderot University under the guidance of Robert Azencott. He subsequently served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Colorado during the 1982–1983 academic year, working under Daniel Stroock. He achieved his habilitation, known as the These d'Etat, in 1987.
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Ben Arous held professorships at the University of Paris-Sud and the École Normale Supérieure before joining the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, where he served from 1997 to 2007. During his tenure there, he founded the Bernoulli Institute in 2001. He transitioned to the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences in 2002. His leadership roles at the institution included serving as the director from 2011 to 2016, following a period as acting director in 2009. Additionally, he was appointed Vice-Provost for Science and Engineering Development in 2011.
Research and Professional Contributions
His primary research interests involve stochastic analysis, random matrices, and large deviations. He investigates the long-term behavior of complex systems and the processes governing relaxation to equilibrium in disordered media. His editorial contributions include work with the Journal of the European Mathematical Society and Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics. Since 2010, he has served as a managing editor for Probability Theory and Related Fields alongside Amir Dembo. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics.
Fast facts
- Born: 1957
- Citizenship: France; United States
- Rollo Davidson Prize: 1993
- Doctoral advisor: Robert Azencott
- Languages: French
Questions readers ask
What specific areas of mathematics does Gérard Ben Arous study?
He specializes in stochastic analysis, probability theory, large deviations, random matrices, and the statistical mechanics of disordered media.
Which major institutions has he been associated with?
He has held academic and leadership positions at the École Normale Supérieure, the University of Paris-Sud, the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and the Courant Institute at New York University.
Achievements
- Rollo Davidson Prize — 1993
- Held posts at University of Paris and New York University
- Fields: mathematics
