Richard Karp Receives Kyoto Prize
June 24, 2008
Professor Richard M. Karp, Head of the Algorithms Group at the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) in Berkeley, has received the 2008 Kyoto Prize in the Advanced Technology Category, Information Sciences Field. The Kyoto Prize is sometimes referred to as the "Japanese Nobel", and is one of the highest honors a scientist can receive.
The Inamori Foundation in Japan selects the laureates each year, but the Information Sciences category only receives awards once every four years. The Foundation website notes that "Dr. Karp has made fundamental contributions to the development of the theory of computational complexity which began in the early 1970s by establishing the theory of NP-completeness, having a profound influence on the guiding principles for analysis and design of algorithms."
Professor Karp is also a University Professor at UC Berkeley in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, with joint appointments in Computer Science, Mathematics, Bioengineering, and Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. Among other awards, he has also previously received the Turing Award and the U.S. National Medal of Science.
Professor Nelson Morgan, ICSI's Director, noted "we are thrilled to have this valued member of our community receive this richly deserved award. His previous work was a key part of the development of the field of computer science, and he continues to generate important results, currently in bioinformatics and computational biology. We're honored to have him in our community."
Professor Shankar Sastry, Chairman of the ICSI Board of Trustees and Dean of Engineering at UC Berkeley, commented, "The Kyoto Prize recognizes not only outstanding achievements, but also the stellar personal characteristics that have shaped those achievements. I can imagine no more appropriate recipient for this honor than Dick Karp."