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The Princeton Center for Theoretical Computer Science (PCTCS) will open in September 2008 as a joint venture of Princeton's School of Engineering and Applied Science and Department of Computer Science.
Computation, computation-inspired models, and the study of algorithms and computational complexity are at the center of many exciting scientific problems of the 21st century, including those arising in physics, biology, mathematics, economics, neuroscience., and a number of engineering fields.
The planned Center will support research in the most exciting questions in the theoretical study of computation, and draw upon Princeton's strengths in theoretical computer science as well as related fields mentioned above. The directions of inquiry will include core issues such as computational intractability and algorithms, as well as new algorithmic and computational problems arising in the interface of computer science with the affiliated fields mentioned above. Here are a few examples: (a) The notion of computational complexity has recently turned out to have a bearing on the foundations of quantum mechanics. (b) The P versus NP question, a central problem of computer science, has been recognized as one of the major open problems for 21st Century mathematics. (c) Machine learning theory seems to give some insight into the architecture and workings of the human brain. (d) New fundamental progress in algorithm design has repercussions on scientific computing and society.
The activities supported at the Center will include the following: