# Anna Karlin

> American computer scientist

**Wikidata**: [Q11748](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11748)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Karlin)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/anna-karlin

## Summary
Anna Karlin is an American computer scientist known for her contributions to the design and analysis of algorithms, particularly in systems design, and is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

## Biography
- Born: 1960-03-19
- Nationality: United States
- Education: Stanford University
- Known for: Design and analysis of algorithms and systems design
- Employer(s): University of Washington Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, Digital Equipment Corporation
- Field(s): Informatics

## Contributions
Anna Karlin has made significant contributions to computer science through her research on algorithms and systems design. She is known for the discovery and analysis of balanced allocations, known as the "power of two choices," which has extensive applications in practice. Her work has been recognized with the Paris Kanellakis Award in 2020 for this discovery. She has published numerous academic papers and has supervised multiple doctoral students at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on algorithmic solutions to problems in distributed systems and network design.

## FAQs
### Q: What is Anna Karlin's most notable achievement?
A: She received the Paris Kanellakis Award in 2020 for discovering and analyzing balanced allocations (power of two choices) and their applications.

### Q: What is her Erdős number?
A: Anna Karlin has an Erdős number of 2, indicating she is two steps away from mathematician Paul Erdős through her academic collaborations.

### Q: What academic institutions has she been affiliated with?
A: She has been affiliated with the University of Washington and previously worked at Digital Equipment Corporation.

### Q: What awards has she received?
A: She is an ACM Fellow (2012) and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and received the Paris Kanellakis Award (2020).

## Why They Matter
Anna Karlin's work on balanced allocations has had lasting impact on distributed systems and network design. Her algorithmic solutions have improved efficiency and reliability in various applications, influencing both academic research and practical implementations. Her contributions have helped advance the field of informatics by providing fundamental insights into resource allocation and system design principles.

## Notable For
- Received the Paris Kanellakis Award in 2020 for the discovery and analysis of balanced allocations (power of two choices)
- Elected as an ACM Fellow in 2012 for contributions to algorithm design and systems analysis
- Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2021)
- Has an Erdős number of 2

## Body
### Education and Academic Career
Anna Karlin received her education at Stanford University. She completed her doctoral studies under the guidance of computer scientist Jeffrey David Ullman at the University of Washington. Her academic career has been primarily at the University of Washington, where she has served as a professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering.

### Research Contributions
Karlin's research focuses on informatics, particularly in the design and analysis of algorithms for systems design. Her most significant contribution is the discovery and analysis of balanced allocations, known as the "power of two choices." This concept provides an efficient method for distributing resources in distributed systems and has found applications in various domains including networking, caching, and load balancing.

### Awards and Recognition
In 2012, she was elected as an ACM Fellow for her contributions to the design and analysis of algorithms and their use in systems design. In 2020, she received the prestigious Paris Kanellakis Award for this discovery and its extensive applications. She was also elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and later became a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2021.

### Professional Affiliations
Throughout her career, Karlin has been affiliated with Digital Equipment Corporation and has maintained her primary position at the University of Washington. She has supervised numerous doctoral students, including Geoffrey M. Voelker, Jared Culver Saia, and others, contributing to the next generation of computer scientists.

### Family and Academic Network
Karlin comes from a distinguished academic family; her father is Samuel Karlin, a renowned mathematician, and her sibling is Kenneth D. Karlin. She has an Erdős number of 2, connecting her to the mathematical community through her academic collaborations.

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## References

1. WorldCat
2. [Source](https://www.nasonline.org/about-nas/events/annual-meeting/nas159/2021-ceremony.html)
3. [Source](https://awards.acm.org/award-recipients/karlin_3133790)
4. [Source](https://www.acm.org/media-center/2012/december/acm-fellows-named-for-computing-innovations-that-advance-technologies-in-information-age)
5. Mathematics Genealogy Project
6. Virtual International Authority File
7. [2021](https://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/2021-nas-election.html)