Joseph F. Traub

Joseph F. Traub
Born
Joseph Frederick Traub

(1932-06-24)June 24, 1932
Karlsruhe, Weimar Germany[1]
DiedAugust 24, 2015(2015-08-24) (aged 83)
Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.[2]
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCity College of New York (B.S., 1954)
Columbia University (Ph.D., Applied Mathematics, 1959)
SpousePamela McCorduck
Scientific career
FieldsComputer Science
InstitutionsColumbia University
Thesis Variational Calculations on the Triplet-2S and Triplet-2P States of Helium  (1959)
Doctoral advisorHenry M. Foley
Doctoral students

Joseph Frederick Traub (June 24, 1932 – August 24, 2015) was an American computer scientist. He was the Edwin Howard Armstrong Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University and External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. He held positions at Bell Laboratories, University of Washington, Carnegie Mellon, and Columbia, as well as sabbatical positions at Stanford,[3] Berkeley, Princeton, California Institute of Technology, and Technical University, Munich.[4]

Traub was the author or editor of ten monographs and some 120 papers in computer science, mathematics, physics, finance, and economics.[4] In 1959 he began his work on optimal iteration theory culminating in his 1964 monograph, Iterative Methods for the Solution of Equations. Subsequently, he pioneered work with Henryk Woźniakowski on computational complexity applied to continuous scientific problems (information-based complexity). He collaborated in creating significant new algorithms including the Jenkins-Traub Algorithm for Polynomial Zeros, as well as the Shaw-Traub,[2][5] Kung-Traub,[6] and Brent-Traub algorithms. One of his research areas was continuous quantum computing.[7] As of November 10, 2015, his works have been cited 8500 times, and he has an h-index of 35.[8]

From 1971 to 1979 Traub headed the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon during a critical period. From 1979 to 1989 he was the founding Chair of the Computer Science Department at Columbia. From 1986 to 1992 he served as founding Chair of the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, National Academies and held the post again 2005–2009.[9] Traub was founding editor of the Annual Review of Computer Science (1986–1990)[10] and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Complexity (1985–2015).[11] Both his research and institution building work have had a major impact on the field of computer science.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gelenbe was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Crane was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Biography | Joseph F. Traub Collection". Carnegie Mellon University, University Libraries. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Joseph Traub". Carnegie Mellon University Digital Collections. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  5. ^ Shaw, Mary; Traub, J. F. (1 January 1974). "On the Number of Multiplications for the Evaluation of a Polynomial and Some of Its Derivatives". Journal of the ACM. 21: 161–167. doi:10.1145/321796.321810. S2CID 10595083.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Petković was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Novak, Erich (2009). "Henryk Wozniakowski and the Complexity of Continuous Problems". Essays on the complexity of continuous problems (PDF). Zürich, Switzerland: European Mathematical Society. ISBN 978-3-03719-069-2. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Google Scholar Citation Record for J.F. Traub".
  9. ^ "Computer Pioneers - Joseph Frederick Traub". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  10. ^ Kaufmann, William (June 1986). "Preface". Annual Review of Computer Science. 1 (1): annurev.cs.1.111406.100001. doi:10.1146/annurev.cs.1.111406.100001. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  11. ^ Lohr, Steve (26 August 2015). "Joseph F. Traub, 83, Dies; Early Advocate for Computer Science". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2023.