Keynote Speech:
“What is Computer Science”
By
Prof. C. Pandu Rangan
PROFESSOR AT DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING,
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MADRAS, INDIA
Prof. C. Pandu Rangan is a Professor of the Computer Science and Engineering Department at Indian
Institute of Technology - Madras (IITM), India. Prof. C. Pandu Rangan has published over two hundred research
papers in the following areas of Computer Science and Engineering:
• Restricting the problem domain
• Approximate algorithm design
• Randomized Algorithms
• Parallel and VLSI Algorithms
• Applied Cryptography
• Secure Multi-Part Computation
• Game Theory and Graph Theory
His main research focus is on the design of pragmatic algorithms. He is interested in looking for pragmatic
alternatives for the problems of practical interest in Graph Theory, Combinatorics, and Computational Geometry.
He obtained his MSc from the University of Madras in 1977 and completed his Ph.D. from the Indian
Institute of Science, Bangalore, India in the year 1984.
He was awarded the Fellowship, Indian National Academy of Engineering in 2006. He also acted as a
member of the board of directors in the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR) from 2002 -
2005. He was a member of the board of directors in the Society for Electronic Transaction and Security (SETS)
from 2005 - 2007. He was in the editorial board for Lecture Notes in Computer Science Series (LNCS Series),
Springer-Verlag, Germany, from 2005 - 2011, and for the Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing during
2005 -2007. In recognition for professors “who have distinguished themselves and been recognized by their peers
for their research and/or technology development, and who have excelled in teaching and service to the institute/
nation/profession” Prof. C. Pandu Rangan has been awarded the Institute Chair Professor at IIT Madras in the
year 2018.
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