Biography
Dr. Leslie Valiant has taught at Harvard since 1982. Before Harvard
he had taught at Carnegie-Mellon University, Leeds University, and the
University of Edinburgh.
His work has ranged over several areas of theoretical computer
science, particularly complexity theory, computational learning, and
parallel computation. Among his many contributions to complexity
theory, he introduced the notion of Sharp-P-Completeness to explain why
enumeration and reliability problems are intractable. He also
introduced the "probably approximately correct" (PAC) model of machine
learning that has helped the field of computational learning theory
grow. He also works in computational neuroscience focusing on
understanding memory and learning. His book Circuits of the Mind
proposes a programmable neuroidal model that provides a unified
framework to study diverse cognitive phenomena while respecting the
extreme constraints imposed by the brain's finite number of neurons,
their limited speed of communication, and their restricted
interconnectivity.
He received the Nevanlinna Prize at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 1986 and ACM and IEEE's Knuth Prize in 1997. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society (London) and a member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA).
Dr. Valiant was educated at King's College, Cambridge; Imperial
College, London; and at Warwick University where he received his Ph.D.
in computer science in 1974.
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