Dr. Gregory Sorkin

Biography

Gregory Sorkin is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he also serves as Programme Director for the MSc Operations Research Analytics programme. He received his A.B. in Mathematics from Harvard in 1983 and subsequently worked at IBM Research in New York. Sorkin completed his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Berkeley in 1991, followed by a one-year postdoctoral position with Mark Jerrum in Edinburgh. He returned to IBM Research in 1992, and later joined LSE in 2010. His research interests encompass a wide range of problems in discrete mathematics, specifically focusing on discrete random systems at the interface of combinatorics, probability, and statistical physics. Sorkin has made significant contributions to both theoretical and applied areas at IBM, including advancements in IBM Anti-Virus software, manufacturing optimization for multi-layer ceramic modules, and scheduling issues for IBM clients. At LSE, he has maintained a robust research agenda and has taught various courses, including a core quantitative methods course and a specialized course on algorithmic approaches to NP-complete problems. His expertise spans discrete random structures, optimization, average-case analysis of algorithms, phase transitions, random graphs, and exponential-time algorithms, with applications in operations research, circuit design, auctions, biology, and physics.

Research Interests

Experience