Xia Chen, Professor of Mathematics, University of Tennessee, has been named Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS). An induction ceremony for all 2008 Fellows took place July 14, 2008 at the IMS Annual Meeting/World Congress in Singapore.
Professor Chen received the award for contributions to the theory of ergodic Markov chains with general state space, to limit laws, and to large and moderate deviations for intersection local times.
Each Fellow nominee is assessed by a committee of his/her peers for the award. In 2008, after reviewing 47 nominations, 17 were selected for Fellowship. Created in 1933, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics is a member organization which fosters the development and dissemination of the theory and applications of statistics and probability. The IMS has 4500 active members throughout the world. Approximately 5% of the current IMS membership has earned the status of fellowship.
Xia Chen is the second member of the Math Department to be named a Fellow, Jan Rosinski was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics in 1997.