Jason Peter Miller, born November 23, 1983, serves as a prominent researcher in probability theory. His academic trajectory includes undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and a doctoral degree from Stanford University, earned in 2011. Since then, he has advanced the study of stochastic processes, random surfaces, and the geometric properties of Gaussian free fields.
Academic Background and Early Research
Miller attended Okemos High School before enrolling at the University of Michigan in 2002. By 2006, he completed a Bachelor of Science with joint majors in mathematics, computer science, and economics. He transitioned to Stanford University later that year to pursue graduate studies. Under the supervision of Amir Dembo, Miller completed his dissertation titled Limit theorems for Ginzburg–Landau random surfaces in 2011. During his formative years, he gained industry experience through internships at Microsoft Research in 2009 and D.E. Shaw & Co. in 2010.
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Postdoctoral research took Miller to Microsoft between 2010 and 2012, followed by a tenure at the MIT department of mathematics as a Schramm Fellow and an NSF Fellow. Working alongside Scott Sheffield, he explored d-dimensional Gaussian free fields, identifying them as multidimensional analogs of Brownian motion. They established an imaginary geometry framework to integrate Schramm–Loewner evolution within these fields. Additionally, Miller and Sheffield demonstrated the equivalence between two distinct models of measure-endowed random surfaces: Liouville quantum gravity and the Brownian map, both originally proposed by Alexander Markovich Polyakov.
Professional Appointments and Recognition
In 2015, Miller accepted a position as a reader at Trinity College, Cambridge, and joined the University of Cambridge Statistics Laboratory. His professional recognition began with the Rollo Davidson Prize in 2015 and the Whitehead Prize in 2016. He later received the Clay Research Award in 2017 and the Doeblin Prize in 2018. During the 2018 International Congress of Mathematicians in Rio de Janeiro, he delivered an invited talk on Liouville quantum gravity. More recently, he was awarded the Leonard Eisenbud Prize for Mathematics and Physics in 2023, the Fermat Prize in 2023, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2025.
Fast facts
- Born: 23 November 1983
- Undergraduate: University of Michigan, 2006
- PhD: Stanford University, 2011
- Role: Reader, University of Cambridge
- 2023 Awards: Leonard Eisenbud Prize, Fermat Prize
- Fellow of the Royal Society: 2025
Questions readers ask
What is the primary focus of Jason Miller's research?
He specializes in probability theory, specifically regarding stochastic interface models, random walks, Markov chain mixing times, and interacting particle systems.
Which mathematician does Miller collaborate with most frequently?
He has performed extensive joint research with Scott Sheffield, particularly concerning Liouville quantum gravity and Gaussian free fields.
Achievements
- Rollo Davidson Prize — 2015
- Whitehead Prize — 2016
- Clay Research Award — 2017
- Leonard Eisenbud Prize for Mathematics and Physics — 2023
- Fellow of the Royal Society — 2025
