Abstract:  Understanding the power of randomness is a central endeavour in computer science. We will explore this theme in two of the simplest models of computing: query complexity and Yao's model of 2-party communication. We will argue that even in these simple models, and their natural variations, it remains challenging to understand the role of randomness.

About the Speaker: Arkadev Chattopadhyay is a Professor in the School of Technology and Computer Science at TIFR, Mumbai. His research interests are in computational complexity theory, especially in circuit, communication and proof complexity and their intersection with quantum computing. He did his PhD from McGill University in 2008, and then  was a post-doctoral member first in the School of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton and then at the Department of Computer Science in the University of Toronto. He got his undergraduate degree from IIT Khargapur, in Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering in 1994, and spent about eight years in the industry with various roles in software development. 

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