Chancellor’s Professor of Computer Science Michael T. Goodrich has received nearly half a million dollars for his grant, “Geometric Realizations and Evolving Data.” He will be working with Professor Gill Barequet at Technion on this joint National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) grant, which is part of the Algorithmic Foundations (AF) program. The program supports transformative research and projects that advance the design and rigorous analysis of algorithms.

Starting Oct. 1, 2018 and running through Sept. 30, 2021, the project will study geometric realizations — that is, structures that realize relationships combining combinatorial and geometric constraints — and evolving data, capturing how the data changes over time. Of particular interest will be the algorithmic challenges that arise from geometric realizations and evolving data applications in society, including challenges related to physics, data visualization and the online servicing of fast-changing data.

Notably, Professors Goodrich and Barequet plan to incorporate students into their work, helping to develop the next-generation of information technology researchers. Furthermore, this work will involve collaborations between U.S. and Israeli researchers.

“I am very pleased to be receiving this grant, as it involves collaborating with someone I mentored as a postdoc many years ago who is now a professor in Israel,” says Goodrich.

The overall goal is to develop fast and efficient algorithms and data structures by exploiting methods from graph drawing, computational geometry and the theory of computation.

— Shani Murray