portrait by Damien Erickson (2018)
I'm a computational geometer/topologist/graphophile with more general interests in algorithms, data structures, and lower bounds. I also have a growing interest in computer science education research, especially in understanding how students learn to design algorithms. I teach mostly large algorithms classes; you might find my free textbook and other course materials useful. Almost half of my former graduate students have tenure, and almost half of my former PhD students have won NSF CAREER awards. I am a SafeTOC advocate for SODA and SOCG, the chair of my department's CS CARES committee, and a member and former chair of my department's internal faculty advisory committee.
I have the lowest undergraduate GPA (2.4/4.0) of any professor I've ever met, although some of my colleagues came close, and a few others never finished college at all. (I really shouldn't be proud of that.) Only two other non-emeritus professors have been in my department longer than I have, but several others were students here before I arrived. (I really shouldn't be proud of that, either.) I have been known to give unsolicited advice.