Philip Ernst

Philip Ernst, Ph.D., is a distinguished statistician and educator who has made significant contributions to the field of statistics. He is currently Chair (and Full Professor) in Statistics and Royal Society Wolfson Fellow at Imperial College London's Department of Mathematics.15 Prior to this, he held positions at Rice University, where he was an Assistant Professor (2014-2018), Associate Professor (2019-2022), and Full Professor (2022-2023) in the Department of Statistics.1

Academic Background

Ernst earned his Ph.D. in Statistics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2014, preceded by an M.A. in Statistics from the same institution in 2010. He completed his B.A. cum laude in Statistics at Harvard University in 2007.1

Research and Achievements

Ernst's research interests encompass various areas of statistics and probability, including:

• Applied probability
• Exact distribution theory
• Mathematical finance
• Mathematical statistics
• Operations research
• Optimal stopping
• Queueing systems
• Statistical inference for stochastic processes
• Stochastic control
• Time series analysis1

He has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including:

• The INFORMS Don Gaver, Jr. Early Career Award for Excellence in Operations Research in 20203
• The Tweedie New Researcher Award from the Institute of Mathematical Statistics in 20182
• The Young Investigator Award from the Mathematical Sciences Division of the Army Research Office in 20182
• Multiple George R. Brown Awards for Superior Teaching and Excellence in Teaching at Rice University24

Teaching and Mentorship

Ernst is highly regarded for his teaching abilities and dedication to student success. He has taught courses such as STAT 310 (undergraduate probability and statistics), STAT 581 (Ph.D. course in measure-theoretic probability), and STAT 650 (Ph.D. course in stochastic differential equations) at Rice University.1 His teaching has been consistently praised by students and colleagues alike.4

Professional Appointments

In addition to his academic positions, Ernst has been appointed to several prestigious roles:

• Editorial board member of The American Statistician (effective May 15, 2024)1
• Nominated for the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) Council Election1
• Visiting international research chair in the Department of Mathematics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles2
• 2023 Lebesgue Chair at the Henri Lebesgue Center in Roscoff, France2

Ernst's contributions to the field of statistics and his dedication to teaching have established him as a prominent figure in academia, with a strong track record of research, mentorship, and educational excellence.