Computer Science

Michael O. Rabin, Member (1958) in the School of Mathematics, passed away on April 14 at the age of 94. His obituary, highlighting the impact of his time at IAS, was published by the Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery. Avi Wigderson, Herbert H. Maass Professor in the School, described Rabin as "a titan, one of the founding fathers of the theory of computation."

In a recent Scientific American article, a paper on zero-knowledge proofs by computational complexity theorist Rahul Ilango, Member in the School of Mathematics, was described as “the most creative and most consequential paper in the field [...] at least in the past decade.”

Sushant Sachdeva, Visitor (2019) in the School of Mathematics, has been announced as the winner of the 2025 Infosys Prize in Engineering and Computer Science for making "fundamental contributions [that] have profoundly impacted many algorithmic challenges underlying modern society."

Theoretical computer scientist Ryan Williams returns to the Institute this fall as the architect of a proof described as “stunning” and “massive.” Ben Brudaker of Quanta Magazine interviewed him about the revolutionary result.

On November 11, 2024, Avi Wigderson, Herbert H. Maass Professor in the School of Mathematics, was officially presented with an honorary doctorate from the Weizmann Institute of Science. Wigderson was recognized for "his pioneering contributions to mathematics and computer science, which have opened new horizons in both fields, and at the interface between them."

Avi Wigderson, Herbert H. Maass Professor in the School of Mathematics, was named by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) as the recipient of the 2023 ACM A.M. Turing Award, often referred to as the "Nobel Prize of Computing."

Past Member and frequent Visiting Professor Russell Impagliazzo, and collaborator with Avi Wigderson, Herbert H. Maas Professor in the School of Mathematics, discussed everything from cryptography to Dungeons & Dragons in an interview with Quanta Magazine. 

The rising prominence of artificial intelligence continues to blur the lines between human and machine. An exhibition currently on display at the Institute reveals that, since its founding, IAS has been a key space for the testing and contesting of these boundaries.

Eight scholars in the Schools of Mathematics and Natural Sciences are among the recipients of the 2023 Sloan Research Fellowships, a landmark honor for early-career scholars. 

The 2023 New Horizons in Mathematics Prize, a renowned award which honors the work of early-career mathematicians, went to past Veblen Research Instructor Ana Caraiani (2013–16), recent von Neumann Fellow Ronen Eldan (2021–22), and current Member James Maynard.