Turing Award laureate Robert Tarjan will visit the University of Latvia

“My Life with Data Structures”, Robert Tarjan

Robert Tarjan reflects on over five decades of research in algorithm design and data structures. He will share key milestones, from foundational breakthroughs like union-find and Fibonacci heaps to more recent developments, offering personal insights into the evolving landscape of theoretical computer science. The talk will highlight both the mathematical elegance and practical impact of data structures, weaving together history, technical depth, and anecdotes from a pioneering career.

About Robert Tarjan

Robert Tarjan is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University and a preeminent figure in theoretical computer science. He is renowned for his pioneering work on graph algorithms and data structures, including union-find, Fibonacci heaps, splay trees, and a linear-time algorithm for finding strongly connected components in a directed graph. Over his career, he has authored hundreds of influential papers that have shaped both theoretical and practical aspects of computer science. His work is widely cited, with around 100,000 citations, reflecting his deep and lasting impact on the field. For his fundamental contributions, he was awarded the Turing Award in 1986, among many other honors.

Professor Robert Tarjan will also visit the University of Tartu, Estonia, with the seminar “My Life with Data Structures” on Monday, May 12.

Robert Tarjan visited the University of Latvia, leading a seminar “Zip Trees” on August 22, 2018.

The visit and public lecture are organized with the support of the University of Latvia Foundation.