Kurt Mehlhorn
Encyclopedia
Kurt Mehlhorn is a German computer scientist
. He has been a vice president of the Max Planck Society
and is director of the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science
.
, where he studied computer science and mathematics, and earned his Ph.D. in 1974 from Cornell University
under the supervision of Robert Constable
. Since 1975 he has been on the faculty of Saarland University
in Saarbrücken
, Germany, where he was chair of the computer science department from 1976 to 1978 and again from 1987 to 1989. Since 1990 has been the director of the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science, also in Saarbrücken. He has been on the editorial boards of ten journals, a trustee of the International Computer Science Institute
in Berkeley, California
, and a member of the board of governors of Jacobs University Bremen. He won the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
in 1986, the Karl Heinz Beckurts Award in 1994, the Konrad Zuse Medal in 1995, and the EATCS Award in 2010. He was named a Fellow
of the Association of Computing Machinery in 1999, a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences in 2001, and a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2004. He has received honorary doctorates from the Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg
in 2004 and the University of Waterloo
in 2006.
, computer algebra, parallel computing
, VLSI design, computational complexity
, combinatorial optimization
, and graph algorithms.
Mehlhorn has been an important figure in the development of algorithm engineering
and is one of the developers of LEDA, the Library of Efficient Data types and Algorithms.
Mehlhorn has played an important role in the establishment of several research centres for computer science in Germany. He was the driving force behind the establishment of a Max Planck Institute for Computer Science in Germany, the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science
(MPII). Mehlhorn is managing director of the institute and heads the department of algorithms and complexity. He also initiated the research center for computer science at Dagstuhl
and the European Symposium on Algorithms
.
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
. He has been a vice president of the Max Planck Society
Max Planck Society
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes publicly funded by the federal and the 16 state governments of Germany....
and is director of the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science
Max Planck Institute for Computer Science
The Max Planck Institute for Computer Science is devoted to cutting-edge research in computer science with a focus on algorithms and their applications in a broad sense...
.
Education
Mehlhorn graduated in 1971 from the Technical University of MunichTechnical University of Munich
The Technische Universität München is a research university with campuses in Munich, Garching, and Weihenstephan...
, where he studied computer science and mathematics, and earned his Ph.D. in 1974 from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
under the supervision of Robert Constable
Robert Lee Constable
Robert "Bob" Lee Constable is a professor of computer science and first and former dean of the department at Cornell University. He is known for his work on connecting computer programs and mathematical proofs, especially the NuPRL system. Constable received his PhD in 1968 under Stephen Kleene and...
. Since 1975 he has been on the faculty of Saarland University
Saarland University
Saarland University is a university located in Saarbrücken, the capital of the German state of Saarland, and Homburg. It was founded in 1948 in Homburg in co-operation with France and is organized in 8 faculties that cover all major fields of science...
in Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
, Germany, where he was chair of the computer science department from 1976 to 1978 and again from 1987 to 1989. Since 1990 has been the director of the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science, also in Saarbrücken. He has been on the editorial boards of ten journals, a trustee of the International Computer Science Institute
International Computer Science Institute
The International Computer Science Institute is an independent, non-profit research organization located in Berkeley, California, USA. Since its founding in 1988, ICSI has maintained an affiliation with the University of California, Berkeley, where several of its members hold faculty appointments...
in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, and a member of the board of governors of Jacobs University Bremen. He won the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is a research prize awarded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft every year since 1985 to scientists working in Germany. This highest German research prize consists of a research grant of 2.5 million euro, to be used within seven years...
in 1986, the Karl Heinz Beckurts Award in 1994, the Konrad Zuse Medal in 1995, and the EATCS Award in 2010. He was named a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Association of Computing Machinery in 1999, a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences in 2001, and a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2004. He has received honorary doctorates from the Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg
Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg
The Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg was founded in 1993 and is one of the youngest universities in Germany. The university in Magdeburg has about 13,000 students in nine faculties. There are 11,700 papers published in international journals from this institute...
in 2004 and the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
in 2006.
Research
Mehlhorn is the author of several books and over 250 scientific publications,. which include fundamental contributions to Data structures, computational geometryComputational geometry
Computational geometry is a branch of computer science devoted to the study of algorithms which can be stated in terms of geometry. Some purely geometrical problems arise out of the study of computational geometric algorithms, and such problems are also considered to be part of computational...
, computer algebra, parallel computing
Parallel computing
Parallel computing is a form of computation in which many calculations are carried out simultaneously, operating on the principle that large problems can often be divided into smaller ones, which are then solved concurrently . There are several different forms of parallel computing: bit-level,...
, VLSI design, computational complexity
Computational Complexity
Computational Complexity may refer to:*Computational complexity theory*Computational Complexity...
, combinatorial optimization
Combinatorial optimization
In applied mathematics and theoretical computer science, combinatorial optimization is a topic that consists of finding an optimal object from a finite set of objects. In many such problems, exhaustive search is not feasible...
, and graph algorithms.
Mehlhorn has been an important figure in the development of algorithm engineering
Algorithm engineering
Algorithm engineering is a combination of theoretical algorithm design with real-world data. By taking an algorithm and combining it with a hardware device connected to the real world, you are able to more accurately verify and validate the algorithm results and behavior...
and is one of the developers of LEDA, the Library of Efficient Data types and Algorithms.
Mehlhorn has played an important role in the establishment of several research centres for computer science in Germany. He was the driving force behind the establishment of a Max Planck Institute for Computer Science in Germany, the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science
Max Planck Institute for Computer Science
The Max Planck Institute for Computer Science is devoted to cutting-edge research in computer science with a focus on algorithms and their applications in a broad sense...
(MPII). Mehlhorn is managing director of the institute and heads the department of algorithms and complexity. He also initiated the research center for computer science at Dagstuhl
Dagstuhl
Dagstuhl is a computer science research center in Germany, located in and named after a district of the town of Wadern, Merzig-Wadern, Saarland.-Location:...
and the European Symposium on Algorithms
European Symposium on Algorithms
The European Symposium on Algorithms is an international conference covering the field of algorithms. It has been held annually since 1993, typically in a different European location in early Autumn...
.