Dr. Letian Chen

About & Research Interests

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in the School of Mathematics and the Maxwell Institute for Mathematical Sciences 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, with a strong emphasis on stochastic thermodynamics. I am highly interested in the optimization, control, and information processing of non-equilibrium systems, as explored in my recent work on the efficiency of autonomous information engines operating on active particles, and how tunable kinetic frustration can be leveraged to control self-assembly and pattern formation.

I combine analytical techniques—such as statistical field theory, Langevin, and Fokker-Planck equations—with large-scale numerical simulations to investigate computational models and their real-world applications.

Publications

View full list on Google Scholar →

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

  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.
  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.
  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.
  4. Letian Chen and G. Pruessner, "Numerical investigation of the Brownian q=2 Potts model" (2025), Physical Review Research 7 (3), 033295.
  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.
  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.
  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.

Preprints & Under Review

  1. R. Garcia-Millan, Z. Zhang, L. Cocconi, M. Bothe, Letian Chen, Z. Zhen, et al., "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, et al., "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

Academic Experience & Education

Postdoctoral Researcher

Aug. 2025 – Present

School of Mathematics & Maxwell Institute for Mathematical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK

Supervisor: Dr. Luke K. Davis

Ph.D. in Mathematics

Nov. 2020 – Mar. 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)

Sept. 2018 – Sept. 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)

Sept. 2014 – Jul. 2018

Theoretical Physics, School of Physics, Nankai University, China

Selected Talks, Teaching & Supervision

Selected Talks & Presentations

  • Contributed Talk: Workshop on Driven and Active Amorphous Matter, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Germany (Jul. 2025)
  • Invited Talk: ITP Mini-symposium on Information Physics, Beijing, China (May 2025)
  • Invited Talk: Bio-Soft Matter Journal Club, Wenzhou, China (Feb. 2025)
  • Poster: DPG Spring Meeting, Berlin, Germany (Mar. 2024)

Teaching & Student Supervision

  • Co-supervisor (Master in Mathematics, Imperial College London, 2023–2024): Sachin Wijeyaratnam (Random searching with stochastic resetting and fluctuating potential)
  • Co-supervisor (Undergraduate UROP Prize, Imperial College London, 2021): Lili Fehertoi-Nagy, Evelyn Wang (Field theory of Games)
  • Teaching Assistant (Imperial College London, 2021): Introduction to Doi-Peliti field theory