17266 - Stochastic Processes

Academic Year 2025/2026

  • Docente: Paolo Foschi
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: SECS-S/01
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Rimini
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Statistical, Financial and Actuarial Sciences (cod. 6812)

Learning outcomes

The course deals with the basics of stochastic processes with applications in insurance and finance. At the end of the course the student is able to work with some of the most important kinds of random processes such as Markov chains, Poisson processes, birth and death processes and Brownian motion.

Course contents

1. (Prerequisite) Random variable, distributions, and convergence of random variables sequences.

* Ch. 1: da 1.1 a 1.6 included.

 * Ch. 2: da 2.1 a 2.5 included

* Ch. 3: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7.

* Ch. 4: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.5, 4.6.

* Ch. 7: 7.1, 7.2, 7.4, 7.5.

2. Introduction to random processes, random walk and ruin probabilities.

* Ch. 8: 8.1, 8.2

* Ch. 9: 9.1, 9.5

* Ch. 3: 3.9, 3.10

* Ch. 5: 5.3 3. Markov Chains

* Ch. 6: 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4 4.

4. The Poisson Process

* Ch. 6: 6.8 5.

5. Diffusion processes and Itô calculus:

* Ch. 13: 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.7, 13.8, 13.9


Readings/Bibliography

Probability and Random Processes, G.R. Grimmett and D.R. Stirzaker, 4th Edition, Oxford university Press, 2020

Teaching methods

Classes and exercises

Assessment methods

A two-hours written examination that includes theoretical questions and exercises

Teaching tools

* Slides and lecture notes

* Solved exercises

* computer programs for the simulation of the presented random processes 

Office hours

See the website of Paolo Foschi