Dr. Neal Madras

Biography

Neal Madras is a Full Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at York University. His research interests lie primarily in probability theory and its applications in various fields such as applied mathematics. He has worked on the general theory of random walks and Monte Carlo methods, particularly concerning problems in statistical mechanics, theoretical computer science, communications networks, and mathematical models in biology and meteorology. He is actively involved in research that includes disease modeling and theoretical investigations into pattern-avoiding permutations. Furthermore, he has a keen interest in self-avoiding walks and related models, which emerged from the physics literature, particularly in the context of large polymer molecules. The study of self-avoiding walks, where a path visits sites on a lattice more than once, presents a formidable challenge that requires rigorous mathematical methods for validation. Madras has been engaged in the rigorous analysis of Monte Carlo methods to explore models, employing discrete approximations to better understand the experimental behaviors of polymers. Additionally, he has contributed to the Canadian Mathematical Olympiad and several high school mathematics competitions over the years.

Research Interests