Dr. Letian Chen

About & Research Interests

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in the School of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh, working with Dr. Luke K. Davis. Prior to joining Edinburgh, I completed my Ph.D. in Mathematics and Master in Physics at Imperial College London under the supervision of Dr. Gunnar Pruessner, and received my B.S. in Physics from Nankai University.

My research centers on non-equilibrium statistical physics, particularly on stochastic processes driven out of equilibrium. In my work I combine analytical calculations with numerical simulations, and I enjoy collaborating closely with experimentalists.

Publications

View full list on Google Scholar →

Preprints & Under Review

  1. R. Garcia-Millan, Z. Zhang, L. Cocconi, M. Bothe, Letian Chen, Z. Zhen, and G. Pruessner, "Microscopic theory of soft run-and-tumble particles" (2026). arXiv:2605.01422
  2. R. Garcia-Millan, L. Cocconi, Z. Zhang, M. Bothe, Letian Chen, Z. Zhen, and G. Pruessner, "Effective attraction by repulsion" (2026). arXiv:2605.01421
  3. Letian Chen and L.K. Davis, "Reentrance in a Hamiltonian flocking model" (2026). arXiv:2602.11104
  4. H. Yuan, L.X. Cui, Letian Chen, and C.P. Sun, "Quantum Vicsek model for active matter" (2024). arXiv:2407.09860

Peer-reviewed Publications

  1. E. Lardet, Letian Chen, and T. Bertrand, "Flocking beyond one species: Novel phase coexistence in a generalized two-species Vicsek model" (2026), Physical Review Letters 137 (11), 118303. DOI
  2. E. Lardet, Letian Chen, and T. Bertrand, "Kinetic theory of pattern formation in a generalized multispecies Vicsek model" (2026), Physical Review E 114 (3), 034117. DOI
  3. J. Hu, H. Yuan, Letian Chen, N. Zhao, and C.P. Sun, "Experimental verification of the optimal fingerprint method in a spin resonance system: Implications for complex systems" (2026), Physical Review E 114 (2), 024220. DOI
  4. Letian Chen and G. Pruessner, "Numerical investigation of the Brownian q=2 Potts model" (2025), Physical Review Research 7 (3), 033295. DOI
  5. L. Cocconi and Letian Chen, "Efficiency of an autonomous, dynamic information engine operating on a single active particle" (2024), Physical Review E 110 (1), 014602. DOI
  6. Letian Chen, H.N. Huynh, and G. Pruessner, "Correlation, crossover, and broken scaling in the Abelian Manna model" (2024), Physical Review Research 6 (1), 013248. DOI
  7. Letian Chen, H. Yuan, and C.P. Sun, "Brownian motion theory and its application in the study of complex climate systems" (2022), Physics 51 (9), 588–601. DOI

Academic Experience & Education

Postdoctoral Researcher

2025 – Present

School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh, UK

Working with Dr. Luke K. Davis

Ph.D. in Mathematics

2020 – 2025

Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, UK

Thesis: Stochastic processes under driving: self-organised criticality, active matter and the climate system

Supervisor: Dr. Gunnar Pruessner

Master in Physics with Extended Research (Distinction)

2018 – 2020

Department of Physics, Imperial College London, UK

Thesis: Correlations and scaling in self-organised criticality

Supervisor: Dr. Gunnar Pruessner

B.S. in Physics (Distinction)

2014 – 2018

Theoretical Physics, School of Physics, Nankai University, China