Dr. Matei Zaharia

Associate Professor

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Biography

Matei Zaharia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the co-founder and CTO of Databricks and the original creator of Apache Spark, a widely used open-source project that revolutionized data processing. Zaharia completed his PhD in Computer Science at UC Berkeley in 2009. His research interests span various areas including cloud computing, database management, artificial intelligence, and information retrieval. He has developed several widely adopted systems such as Delta Lake, MLflow, and Dolly ColBERT. His work has garnered prestigious recognition, including the 2014 ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award, the NSF CAREER Award, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). He continues to lead innovative research at the intersection of AI and data systems.

Research Interests

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.