Workshop on Ad Auctions 2012

Nikhil Devanur, Gagan Goel, Mallesh Pai and David Parkes are organizing the Ad Auctions workshop this year, as usual colocated with ACM EC conference. More info here. The deadline is Apr 7th and the meeting will be in Valencia, Spain. This is a true workshop, an audience of 100 or so of folks who know the stuff, and you can have a high bandwidth conversations.

Big Data Workshops

There are two upcoming workshops that explore big data: algorithms, machine learning, databases, all else:

• From Data to Knowledge: Machine-Learning with Real-time and Streaming Applications, UC, Berkeley, May 7--11
• Big Data at Large: Algorithms and Applications, at Duke Univ, June 14--15

The Trumpet

My second favorite music instrument is the Trumpet. I got to hear an hour of trumpet, part performance, part education, at the Habst Theater yesterday, March 10, as part of SFJazz. This was a low key performance, but starved that I am, I was reminded me of all kinds of voices, Zora and Billie, Bolden and Keppard. Let me showcase here, a piece of Louis Armstrong: if you watch the piece on the left, you will see satchmo grab the trumpet at 1:10 and you will want to watch him, as he wails all the way to the end.

Postdocs Needed

The job market is probably a little more clearer now than say at the start of the year. Owing to various funds available at Rutgers, we are seeking one postdoctoral visitor in each of the following research areas (total of 3):

• Sparse approximation, compressed sensing, coding/decoding, and applications.
• Ad exchanges: auction design, optimization, learning and data mining; more generally, display ads.
• Privacy (inclusive) and game theory.

Please email me with a CV if you are interested. Thank you. Needless to say Rutgers area is great for theory, algorithms, databases, data mining folks.

Theoretical CSist In News: Prabhakar R.

It is nice when there is so much coverage when a theoretical computer scientist (I know Prabhakar Raghavan transcends CS, much less TCS) changes jobs.

FYI: Market Design Summer School Deadline

13th Trento Summer School, Intensive course in "Market Design: Theory and Pragmatics", June 25 - July 6, 2012, held in Trento Hotel Villa Madruzzo. Co-Directors: Dan Friedman, Economics Department, Santa Cruz University CA, and David Parkes, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University. Applications are due by Saturday, 17 march 2012.

The Trento Summer Schools are intended for advanced graduate students and post-doctoral scholars in economics, computer science and operations research. People interested in participating in the Summer School are encouraged to apply by submitting a curriculum vitae, a two-page essay describing their interest in Market Design, a course transcript from their PhD program, including advanced examinations passed, two letters of recommendation, and statements about their current or projected research, along with relevant research papers, if any. Applications are due by Saturday, 17 march 2012. Persons interested in participating in the Summer School should follow the application procedure. Admissions decisions will be announced by 10 April 2012.

ps: My student Darja pointed out this other summer school at CMU in Aug 2012, which also sounds very interesting. Deadline to apply April 15.