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Theory

Carnegie Mellon University has a strong and diverse group in Theory working across colleges and departments for deep research opportunities.

The goals of the Theory group are, broadly speaking, to provide a mathematical understanding of fundamental issues in Computer Science, and to use this understanding to produce better algorithms, protocols, and systems, as well as identify the inherent limitations of efficient computation. 

Our Theory group maintains strong ties to other areas, such as computer systems, programming languages, and artificial intelligence, and we welcome students who have a combination of theoretical and application-oriented research interests.

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News

Portrait of Jignesh Patel.

Jignesh Patel Tapped To Lead CMU Miami as Founding Dean, Vice President

Aaron Aupperlee

by Aaron Aupperlee | Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Carnegie Mellon University has named an innovative educator, trailblazing researcher and savvy entrepreneur to help lead its new campus. Jignesh Patel will serve as the founding dean and vice president of CMU Miami, a new campus announced on Sept. 30 by CMU President Farnam Jahanian and made possible thanks to a transformative philanthropic investment by Citadel founder and CEO and Griffin Catalyst founder Ken Griffin. Read More
Portrait of Yang Liu.

Liu Receives NSF CAREER Award

Adam Kohlhaas

by Adam Kohlhaas | Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Yang Liu, an assistant professor in Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for his research advancing the mathematical foundations of algorithms, optimization and data analysis. Read More

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