# Vijay Vazirani

> American theoretical computer scientist

**Wikidata**: [Q92702](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q92702)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijay_Vazirani)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/vijay-vazirani

## Summary
Vijay Vazirani is an American theoretical computer scientist and university teacher known for research in algorithms and theoretical computer science. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and an ACM Fellow (2005) who has held faculty positions at major U.S. universities and supervised a generation of doctoral students in algorithms.

## Biography
- Born: 1957-04-20, India
- Nationality: United States
- Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of California, Berkeley
- Known for: Research in algorithms and theoretical computer science
- Employer(s): Massachusetts Institute of Technology (affiliated); University of California, Berkeley; Georgia Tech; University of California, Irvine
- Field(s): Algorithms; theoretical computer science

## Contributions
Vijay Vazirani has produced a substantial body of research in algorithms and theoretical computer science, documented across standard bibliographic databases (MathSciNet MR author id 177555, dblp author id 84/5806, Scopus author id 7003270539, Google Scholar author id 8eB7Q1kAAAAJ). He has served as doctoral advisor to multiple students who became researchers and professors, including Ion I. Măndoiu, Naveen Garg, Kamal Jain, Samir Khuller, Deeparnab Chakrabarty, Amin Saberi, Lei Wang, and Pushkar Tripathi. His work and collaborations place him at Erdős number 2, reflecting close research connections in the mathematics and theoretical CS communities. Vazirani’s scholarly impact is recognized by fellowships and honors, notably election as an ACM Fellow in 2005 and receipt of a Guggenheim Fellowship. His publications and mentorship have been archived and indexed in major national and international libraries and authority files (ISNI 0000000115846832, VIAF 300626, Library of Congress n90630233), supporting dissemination and use of his research within academia.

## FAQs
### Q: Who is Vijay Vazirani?
A: Vijay Vazirani is an American theoretical computer scientist and university teacher known for research in algorithms and theoretical computer science. He is an ACM Fellow (2005) and a Guggenheim Fellow.

### Q: Where was he educated and who advised his doctorate?
A: He was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley. His doctoral advisor was Manuel Blum.

### Q: Where has he worked?
A: He has been affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has held faculty positions at the University of California, Berkeley, Georgia Tech, and the University of California, Irvine.

### Q: What are notable recognitions he has received?
A: He was named an ACM Fellow in 2005 and has received a Guggenheim Fellowship.

### Q: Has he mentored notable students?
A: Yes. His doctoral students include Ion I. Măndoiu, Naveen Garg, Kamal Jain, Samir Khuller, Deeparnab Chakrabarty, Amin Saberi, Lei Wang, and Pushkar Tripathi.

## Why They Matter
Vijay Vazirani’s significance lies in sustained contributions to the theory of algorithms and in training researchers who continued work in theoretical computer science. His election as an ACM Fellow and receipt of a Guggenheim Fellowship mark peer recognition of his research influence. Through a corpus of papers indexed in MathSciNet, dblp, Scopus, and Google Scholar, and through authority records (ISNI, VIAF, Library of Congress), his work is accessible and citable across the global academic infrastructure. His mentorship of multiple doctoral students who entered academia and research widens his impact beyond his own papers: those students have carried forward research strands in algorithms and related topics. His Erdős number of 2 indicates high-level collaborative links within mathematics and theoretical computer science, underscoring his embeddedness in the research community. Without his publications and guidance, some lines of algorithmic research and student careers would have developed differently.

## Notable For
- Named an ACM Fellow (point in time: 2005).
- Recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.
- Doctoral advisor to several researchers who became faculty (e.g., Samir Khuller, Kamal Jain, Amin Saberi).
- Extensive bibliographic and authority presence (MR author id 177555, dblp 84/5806, Scopus 7003270539, ISNI 0000000115846832, VIAF 300626).
- Erdős number 2, indicating close collaborative ties in mathematics and theoretical CS.

## Body

### Early life and education
- Born 1957-04-20 in India.
- Educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Also educated at the University of California, Berkeley.
- Doctoral advisor: Manuel Blum.

### Academic positions and affiliations
- Affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Past or reported employers include the University of California, Berkeley; Georgia Tech; and the University of California, Irvine.
- Occupations listed: computer scientist, university teacher, mathematician.

### Research and mentorship
- Field of work: algorithms and theoretical computer science.
- Supervised doctoral students: Ion I. Măndoiu; Naveen Garg; Kamal Jain; Samir Khuller; Deeparnab Chakrabarty; Amin Saberi; Lei Wang; Pushkar Tripathi.
- Publication and indexing presence:
  - MathSciNet (MR author id: 177555).
  - dblp (author id: 84/5806).
  - Scopus (author id: 7003270539).
  - Google Scholar (author id: 8eB7Q1kAAAAJ).
- Erdős number: 2.

### Honors and recognition
- ACM Fellow (2005).
- Guggenheim Fellowship (listed as award_received).
- Member of Association for Computing Machinery; qualifier indicates ACM Fellow status starting in 2005.

### Professional identifiers and authority files
- ISNI: 0000000115846832.
- VIAF: 300626.
- Library of Congress authority id: n90630233.
- Other identifiers: GND 122932196; VIAF-linked national and international library identifiers (NDL, BnF, etc.).

### Personal and other data
- Citizenship: United States.
- Languages: English.
- Religion or worldview: Hinduism (per provided data).
- Sibling: Umesh Vazirani.
- Wikidata description: American theoretical computer scientist.

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## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. Integrated Authority File
3. Guggenheim Fellows database
4. [Source](https://awards.acm.org/fellows/award-recipients)
5. Mathematics Genealogy Project
6. International Standard Name Identifier
7. CiNii Research
8. IdRef
9. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File