Dr. Martín Abadi
Leslie Valiant MEMBERS
Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Harvard University.
Budapest, Hungary
More Info
  • 1999
  • Computer Science and Information Technology (C.S.E)
More Info
  • 1999
  • Computer Science and Information Technology (C.S.E)
Election Remark
Leslie Gabriel Valiant (born 28 March 1949) is a British American computer scientist and computational theorist. He is currently the T. Jefferson Coolidge Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Harvard University.

Valiant was awarded the Turing Award in 2010, having been described by the A.C.M. as a heroic figure in theoretical computer science and a role model for his courage and creativity in addressing some of the deepest unsolved problems in science; in particular for his "striking combination of depth and breadth".
 
Valiant is world-renowned for his work in Theoretical Computer Science. In computer systems, he is most well-known for introducing the Bulk Synchronous Parallel processing model. He also works in Computational Neuroscience focusing on understanding memory and learning.
 
Valiant's 2013 book is Probably Approximately Correct: Nature's Algorithms for Learning and Prospering in a Complex World.Valiant received the Nevanlinna Prize in 1986, the Knuth Prize in 1997, the EATCS Award in 2008, and the Turing Award in 2010. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1991, a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) in 1992, a member of the Eurpean Academy of Engineering in 1999 and a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences in 2001.