 | Ravindran Kannan |
Ravindran Kannan, the newly named William K. Lanman Jr. Professor of Computer Science, is considered one of the world leaders in the areas of geometry of numbers and probabilistic approximate algorithms.
Kannan's research interests include algorithms, theoretical computer science and discrete mathematics as well as optimization. His work has mainly focused on efficient algorithms for problems of a mathematical (often geometric) nature that arise in computer science. He has worked on algorithms for integer programming and the geometry of numbers, random walks in n-space, randomized algorithms for linear algebra and learning algorithms for convex sets.
In 1991 he received the highest award in discrete mathematics, the Fulkerson Prize from the Mathematical Programming Society and the American Mathematical Society, for his work on estimating the volume of convex sets -- work that opened up an important new area of research.
Kannan received a Bachelor of Technology in electrical engineering in 1974 at the India Institute of Techology in Bombay, where he took the silver medal in his discipline. He went on to earn M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at Cornell University in 1977 and 1979 respectively.
He served on the faculties of the University of California at Berkeley (1979-1980), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1980-1983) and Carnegie-Mellon University (1983-1997) before coming to Yale as professor of computer science and applied mathematics.
He received the Distinguished Alumnus award of the Indian Institute of Technology in 1999 and was a plenary speaker at the 1994 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Symposium on the Foundations of Computer Science. In addition, he was the Visiting Miller Research Professor at the University of California at Berkeley in 1991 and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Bonn in 1987.
A widely published author with over 50 papers to his credit, Kannan has served on the editorial boards of several journals and on program committees. He chaired the program committee for the second Integer Programming and Combinatorial Optimization Conference in 1988 and the Fulkerson Prize Committee in 2000.
T H I S
Kannan has been appointed to Lanman chair
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
New director of Equal Opportunity Office named
Former CIA head: In war, liberty and security can conflict
Students chosen for All-USA College Academic First Team
Adrienne Rich wins prestigious Bollingen Prize for poetry
Kannan has been appointed to Lanman chair
Activists urge students to join 'struggle' for social justice
Symposium to honor 'Yale's greatest scientist'
Symposium to explore rebuilding post-conflict states
MEDICAL CENTER NEWSIQs of premature infants rise as they grow, say researchers
Study reports 20% of people with epilepsy . . .
Drug to prevent breast cancer now being tested
Investigators seeking ways to treat painful gynecological disorder
Journalists Carlson, Kaufman to be next Poynter Fellows
Lecture series offers inside perspective on 'Managing the European Union'
Celebrating Black History Month
Three-day conference explores the musical traditions of Greece
Biologist John Trinkaus, expert on cell migration, dies
Friends recall life of graduate student Tom Casey, who died in kayaking accident
Digging the snow
Norbert Hirschhorn honored for pediatric research
Organ student Paul Jacobs garners music award
Connecticut-based ensemble to perform in campus concert
Yale Books in Brief
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Yale Scoreboard|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs Home|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page