Dr. Lijie Chen

Assistant Professor

Build a Statement of Purpose

Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Lijie Chen. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.

Biography

Lijie Chen's research primarily focuses on theoretical computer science, with particular interest in classical and quantum computational complexity theory and its connections to fields like quantum physics. He has held the position of Miller Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, working under the supervision of prominent researchers such as Avishay Tal and Umesh V. Vazirani. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was advised by Ryan Williams. Before pursuing his doctoral studies at MIT, he obtained his bachelor's degree from the Yao Class at Tsinghua University, where he worked with Professor Jian Li on Multi-Armed Bandit problems. Lijie has also been a visiting researcher at MIT during the Spring of 2016, under the guidance of Professor Scott Aaronson, focusing on Quantum Complexity.

Research Interests

Experience

Miller Postdoctoral Fellow

— Present

University of California, Berkeley • Berkeley, CA

Conducting research in theoretical and quantum computational complexity theory.

Courses

CS 170. Efficient Algorithms and Intractable Problems

Requirements for University of California, Berkeley

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
GRE Subject
Overall Score
Required:500
Overall
Required:500
TOEFL
Total
Required:90
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent Preparation comparable to undergraduate major at Berkeley in Mathematics or Applied Mathematics 2 full years lower-division work (Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Multivariable Calculus) 8 one-semester upper-division courses (Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra)
Application Checklist
  • Graduate Application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Personal History Statement
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Unofficial Transcripts
  • C.V./Resume
  • Course and Textbook List
Specialization Notes

The Mathematics Subject GRE is required for the Fall 2026 admissions cycle. General GRE is optional.