Dr. David Andersen

Professor

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Biography

David Andersen is a professor in the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned his B.S. degrees in Computer Science and Biology from the University of Utah. He is the founder and CTO of BrdgAI, and has previously served as a visiting scientist in the Google Brain group. Andersen is also a co-founder of the deep learning startup Marianas Labs and a former co-founder and CTO of an Internet Service Provider in Salt Lake City. His research interests focus on networks and distributed systems, emphasizing the creation of systems that meet goals of robustness, high availability, and energy efficiency. His current research covers large projects, including FAWN (Fast Arrays of Wimpy Nodes), which aims to develop computational cluster architectures and software techniques to reduce energy costs compared to existing technologies. Furthermore, Andersen works on XIA (Expressive Internet Architecture), a clean-slate approach to internetworking that aims to improve robustness and security while evolving to meet future challenges.

Research Interests

Courses

15213 - Spring, 2026 15513 - Spring, 2026 15712 - Fall, 2025 15213 - Spring, 2025 15513 - Spring, 2025 15712 - Fall, 2024 15513 - Spring, 2024 15213 - Spring, 2024

Requirements for Carnegie Mellon University

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.5
GRE General
Verbal
Required:158
Quantitative
Required:149
Analytical Writing
Required:4
Overall
Required:4
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related field Research experience/publications
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Transcripts
  • GRE scores (optional but reported in profile)
  • English Proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo)
Specialization Notes

Admission is extremely competitive with no strict GPA cut-offs; holistic review is used.