Philippe Flajolet
Encyclopedia
Philippe Flajolet was a French
computer scientist
.
A former student of École Polytechnique
, Philippe Flajolet received his Ph.D.
in computer science from University Paris Diderot in 1973 and state doctorate from Paris-Sud 11 University
in 1979. Most of Philippe Flajolet's research work was dedicated towards general methods for analyzing the computational complexity
of algorithm
s, including the theory of average-case complexity
. He introduced the theory of analytic combinatorics
. With Robert Sedgewick
of Princeton University
, he wrote the first book-length treatment of the
topic, the 2009 book entitled Analytic Combinatorics.
A summary of his research up to 1998 can be found in the article "Philippe Flajolet's research in Combinatorics and Analysis of Algorithms" by H. Prodinger and W. Szpankowski, Algorithmica 22 (1998), 366-387.
At the time of his death from a serious illness, Philippe Flajolet was a research director (senior research scientist) at INRIA in Rocquencourt
.
From 1994 to 2003 he was a corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences
, and was a full member from 2003 on. He was also a member of the Academia Europaea
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
computer scientist
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
.
A former student of École Polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
, Philippe Flajolet received his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in computer science from University Paris Diderot in 1973 and state doctorate from Paris-Sud 11 University
Paris-Sud 11 University
University of Paris-Sud or University of Paris-Sud or University of Paris XI is a French university distributed among several campuses in the southern suburb of Paris...
in 1979. Most of Philippe Flajolet's research work was dedicated towards general methods for analyzing the computational complexity
Computational complexity theory
Computational complexity theory is a branch of the theory of computation in theoretical computer science and mathematics that focuses on classifying computational problems according to their inherent difficulty, and relating those classes to each other...
of algorithm
Algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
s, including the theory of average-case complexity
Average-case complexity
Average-case complexity is a subfield of computational complexity theory that studies the complexity of algorithms on random inputs.The study of average-case complexity has applications in the theory of cryptography....
. He introduced the theory of analytic combinatorics
Analytic combinatorics
Analytic combinatorics is a branch of combinatorics that describes combinatorial classes using generating functions, with formal power series that often correspond to analytic functions....
. With Robert Sedgewick
Robert Sedgewick (computer scientist)
Robert Sedgewick is a computer science professor at Princeton University and a member of the board of directors of Adobe Systems....
of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, he wrote the first book-length treatment of the
topic, the 2009 book entitled Analytic Combinatorics.
A summary of his research up to 1998 can be found in the article "Philippe Flajolet's research in Combinatorics and Analysis of Algorithms" by H. Prodinger and W. Szpankowski, Algorithmica 22 (1998), 366-387.
At the time of his death from a serious illness, Philippe Flajolet was a research director (senior research scientist) at INRIA in Rocquencourt
Rocquencourt
Rocquencourt is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.It is mostly known for:* hosting a research unit of INRIA ;...
.
From 1994 to 2003 he was a corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
, and was a full member from 2003 on. He was also a member of the Academia Europaea
Academia Europaea
Academia Europæa is a European non-governmental scientific academy founded in 1988. Its members are scientists and scholars who collectively aim to promote learning, education and research. It publishes European Review through Cambridge Journals....
.