Leon Zhang

“I developed my interest in forward-backward stochastic differential equations and their numerical solutions. My professors have given me uncountable advice on the formulation of ideas, the derivations and the paper-writing.”

One Master’s degree wasn’t enough to quench his thirst for knowledge. In fact, two didn’t cut it either. Not for Leon Zhang.

After earning his Bachelor of Science Degree in Pure Mathematics and a Master of Science Degree in Mathematics (specializing in Differential Geometry) from Fudan University in Shanghai, Zhang decided that Boston was his next venture.

He chose BU, earned his MS Degree in Mathematical Finance, and graduated with a 3.90—ranking first in his class. He traveled to Shanghai, where he worked for four years, discovering that his true interest was in research and academia.

By 2012, he heard Boston calling for him again. BU Questrom’s PhD program in Mathematical Finance was his answer to that call. He enrolled in Questrom’s program, specializing on numerical solutions, and admits that Questrom was his only choice. He says he was intrigued by the “top-ranked research that Questrom professors were doing in the quantitative field”, and that’s why Questrom was the only school to which he applied. Luckily for Zhang (and for Questrom) his plan grew to fruition.

Zhang has been impressed with the free research environment that Questrom provides and the incredibly supportive faculty. “I was encouraged to think about future research topics even during my first year of study,” he says. One of his professors even encouraged his research, giving him a projects to work on. He explains his work and the help he’s received along the way from faculty, “I developed my interest in forward-backward stochastic differential equations and their numerical solutions. My professors have given me uncountable advice on the formulation of ideas, the derivations and the paper-writing.”

The research that attracted him to Questrom is still what most excites him. After graduation he plans to jump wholeheartedly into the world of academia knowing that his research experience and support from Questrom faculty will contribute to his future success.