Dr. Ernest Ryu

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Ernest K. Ryu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research primarily revolves around deep learning theory and optimization theory. Prior to joining UCLA, he served as an Assistant Professor at Seoul National University and at Stanford University in the Department of Mathematics. Ryu holds a Ph.D. in Computational Mathematical Engineering and an M.S. in Statistics from the California Institute of Technology, where he also obtained dual B.S. degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering. He has received several prestigious awards, including the Sloan Research Fellowship in 2025 and the INFORMS Optimization Society Young Researchers Prize in 2024. Ryu is also an active researcher, contributing significantly to the fields of optimization and mathematical theory.

Research Interests

Experience

Assistant Professor

2024-01-01 — 2026-01-01

Department of Mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles • Los Angeles, CA

Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics focusing on deep learning and optimization.

Assistant Professor

2020-03-01 — 2024-06-01

Department of Mathematical Sciences, Seoul National University • Seoul

Faculty member in the Department of Mathematical Sciences.

Assistant Adjunct Professor

2016-07-01 — 2019-12-01

Department of Mathematics, Stanford University • Stanford, CA

Adjunct professor supporting research and teaching in mathematics.

Awards

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Sloan Research Fellowship

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INFORMS Optimization Society Young Researchers Prize

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Education Prize, College of Natural Science, SNU

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KSIAM Outstanding Young Investigator Award

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Excellent Research Award, College of Natural Science, SNU

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Samsung Science & Technology Foundation Grant

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Gene Golub Thesis Award

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Simons Math+X Graduate Fellowship

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NASA Tech Brief Award

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DOE Office Science Graduate Fellowship (SCGF)

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Caltech Upper Class Merit Award

Requirements for University of California Los Angeles

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
GRE General
Verbal
Required:160
Quantitative
Required:160
Analytical Writing
Required:5
Overall
Required:5
TOEFL
Total
Required:87
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree Strong background in Economics and Mathematics
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Transcripts
  • 3 Letters of Recommendation
  • GRE General Test scores
Specialization Notes

Department of Economics admits primarily for the PhD program.