Contact:
Michael Patrick Rutter
617.496.3815
Harvard Computer Scientist Salil Vadhan '95 Wins 2004 Young Investigator Award From the Office of Naval Research
Cambridge, Mass. - April 19, 2004 - Harvard University's Salil Vadhan '95 has won a 2004 Young Scientist Award for his work related to pseudorandomness from the Office of Naval Research (ONR).
Vadhan, who received a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a C.A.S. in Mathematics from Cambridge University (UK), and an A.B. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Harvard University, is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a member of the Theory of Computation group.
His primary research interests are in computational complexity theory, cryptography, randomness in computation, and the interplay between these areas. Vadhan spent the Fall 2003 term at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, serving as the chair for the Randomness and Computation research cluster that he also helped to organize and implement.
The prestigious ONR awards (only 26 were given for all branches of science and engineering this year) are "intended to confer honor on outstanding faculty members at U.S. universities, to support their research, and to encourage their teaching and research careers." Awardees, selected on the basis of past performance and the quality and creativity of their research proposals, are given a grant consisting of up to $100,000 per year for three years, with the possibility of additional support for capital equipment or collaborative research with a Navy laboratory.
About Harvard Engineering and Applied Sciences
The Harvard Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences is dedicated to the pursuit of interdisciplinary education and research in science and technology. To learn more visit www.deas.harvard.edu.
About the Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the United States Navy and Marine Corps through schools, universities, government laboratories, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations. It provides technical advice to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Secretary of the Navy and works with industry to improve technology manufacturing processes. To learn more visit www.onr.navy.mil.
###