Sherry Sarkar

I am a new postdoc in the mathematics department at Tufts University, working with Dr. Samantha Petti. I recently graduated with my PhD in Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization from Carnegie Mellon University, advised by Dr. Anupam Gupta. I have also had the pleasure of doing research outside academia – I worked with the Algorithms Group at Microsoft Research in the summer of 2024.

I am interested in all things discrete optimization. Discrete optimization captures many problems of interest (packing, covering, connectivity, etc.). However, there are usually hardness barriers in our way such as computational intractability (NP-complete problems), or information-theoretic hardness for partial information settings (problems where the input is changing over time). In my PhD, I focused on methods to circumvent hardness barriers via approximation algorithms. Some of my favorite problems include online bipartite matching, matroid intersection, and network design.

The AI transformation of theoretical computer science prompted me to ask: where is discrete optimization needed most in this world? I believe, now more than ever, research is about understanding which problems are critical to solve and why. In my postdoc, I am exploring where discrete optimization appears in computational biology and social choice. And indeed, I have found these fields are rife with theory! Genomic sequence design can be viewed from the lens of boolean function analysis and combinatorial optimization. Choosing representative panels for a population is a hypergraph matching problem.

I am who I am because of the absolutely incredible advisors, coauthors, and community I have, and so I value being a part of the mentoring and teaching community. I have been teaching at the undergraduate level for close to a decade now; I’ve taught outside the collegiate level in high school math circles as well as done outreach and tutoring volunteer work for elemetary students. For mentoring, I’ve been particularly involved in the Polymath Jr Research Program; in 2023, I led my own research group producing surveys in theory CS.

Outside of work, I am an avid foodie, I foster cats, and I rock climb!