Daniel A. Spielman is the Sterling Professor of Computer Science, Professor of Statistics and Data Science, and Professor of Mathematics at Yale University. He serves as the inaugural James A. Attwood Director of the Yale Institute for the Foundations of Data Science and was previously co-Director of the Yale Institute for Network Science. Spielman received his B.A. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Yale University in 1992, graduating summa cum laude with exceptional distinction in Computer Science and the Beckwith Prize in Mathematics. He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1995, with a thesis on computationally efficient error-correcting codes and holographic proofs advised by Michael Sipser. His early career included an NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley from 1995 to 1996, followed by positions at MIT as Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics from 1996 to 2002 and Associate Professor from 2002 to 2005.

Spielman's research in theoretical computer science centers on spectral graph theory and its applications, including graph sparsification, low-stretch spanning trees, Laplacian linear equations, smoothed analysis of algorithms, error-correcting codes, randomized algorithms, and numerical linear algebra for solving symmetric diagonally dominant systems. Key publications include his book Spectral and Algebraic Graph Theory (2019); the Annals of Mathematics papers "Interlacing Families I: Bipartite Ramanujan Graphs of All Degrees" (2015), "Interlacing Families II: Mixed Characteristic Polynomials and the Kadison-Singer Problem" (2015), and their sequels; "Spectral Sparsification of Graphs" (SIAM Journal on Computing, 2011) with Shang-Hua Teng; and "Nearly-Linear Time Algorithms for Preconditioning and Solving Symmetric, Diagonally Dominant Linear Systems" (SIAM Journal on Matrix Analysis and Applications, 2014). His contributions, such as resolving the Kadison-Singer problem, have advanced algorithms with applications in medical imaging, clinical trial design, and reliable high-definition television broadcasting. Spielman has received the 2023 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics ($3 million), 2021 Michael and Sheila Held Prize, 2015 and 2008 Gödel Prizes, 2014 Pólya Prize, 2010 Rolf Nevanlinna Prize, 2012 MacArthur Fellowship and Simons Investigator Award, and 2016 AMS Josiah Willard Gibbs Lectureship. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (2017), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2021), and ACM Fellow, and has delivered invited addresses at multiple International Congresses of Mathematicians (2002, 2010, 2014).

Professional Email: daniel.spielman@yale.edu