Boris Levit
Encyclopedia
Boris Ya. Levit is a professor of statistics at Queen's University
in Kingston
, Ontario
.
from Moscow State University
and his Ph.D. in Statistics
from Russian Academy of Science in 1975 (his advisor was Rafail Khasminskii). While at Moscow State University
, he was influenced by many famous mathematicians of the era, including Andrei Kolmogorov.
Before undertaking a professorship at Queen's University
, Levit spent several years lecturing in the United States. He has also spent nearly ten years in the Netherlands
, as a professor of statistics
at the University of Utrecht.
Well-known internationally, Levit has made outstanding contributions to the field of statistics
. His research has included statistical problems involving infinitely many parameters, as well as nonparametric statistics. In the 1980s, he discovered how to characterize high order approximation problems using the properties of corresponding elliptic differential operators
. Levit was awarded a D.Sc. by Vilnius University
for his use of differential geometry and partial differential equations in statistical research.
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
in Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Career
Levit obtained his M.Sc. in MathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from Moscow State University
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
and his Ph.D. in Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
from Russian Academy of Science in 1975 (his advisor was Rafail Khasminskii). While at Moscow State University
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
, he was influenced by many famous mathematicians of the era, including Andrei Kolmogorov.
Before undertaking a professorship at Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
, Levit spent several years lecturing in the United States. He has also spent nearly ten years in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, as a professor of statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
at the University of Utrecht.
Well-known internationally, Levit has made outstanding contributions to the field of statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
. His research has included statistical problems involving infinitely many parameters, as well as nonparametric statistics. In the 1980s, he discovered how to characterize high order approximation problems using the properties of corresponding elliptic differential operators
Elliptic operator
In the theory of partial differential equations, elliptic operators are differential operators that generalize the Laplace operator. They are defined by the condition that the coefficients of the highest-order derivatives be positive, which implies the key property that the principal symbol is...
. Levit was awarded a D.Sc. by Vilnius University
Vilnius University
Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It is also the largest university in Lithuania....
for his use of differential geometry and partial differential equations in statistical research.