Andrew Chi-Chih Yao (; born December 24, 1946) is a Chinese
computer scientist
A computer scientist is a person who is trained in the academic study of computer science.
Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation, as opposed to the hardware side on which computer engineers mainly focus (a ...
and
computational theorist. He is currently a professor and the dean of
Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences (IIIS) at
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University (; abbr. THU) is a national public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education.
The university is a member of the C9 League, Double First Class University Plan, Projec ...
. Yao used the
minimax theorem
In the mathematical area of game theory, a minimax theorem is a theorem providing conditions that guarantee that the max–min inequality is also an equality.
The first theorem in this sense is von Neumann's minimax theorem from 1928, which was c ...
to prove what is now known as
Yao's Principle.
Yao was a naturalized U.S. citizen, and worked for many years in the U.S. In 2015, together with
Yang Chen-Ning, he renounced his U.S. citizenship and became an academician of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republi ...
.
Early life
Yao was born in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
. He completed his undergraduate education in
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...
at the
National Taiwan University, before completing a
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in physics at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
in 1972, and then a second PhD in
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
from the
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Un ...
in 1975.
Academic career
Yao was an assistant professor at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of th ...
(1975–1976), assistant professor at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...
(1976–1981), and professor at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...
(1981–1982).
From 1982 to 1986, he was a full professor at Stanford University. From 1986 to 2004, Yao was the William and Edna Macaleer Professor of Engineering and Applied Science at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
, where he continued to work on algorithms and complexity. In 2004, Yao became a professor of the
Center for Advanced Study, Tsinghua University
The Institute for Advanced Study, Tsinghua University (CASTU; ) is a research institute established in Beijing in 1997. Modelled after the Princeton-based Institute for Advanced Study, albeit in a university setting, it is engaged in theoretical ...
(CASTU) and the director of the
Institute for Theoretical Computer Science (ITCS),
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University (; abbr. THU) is a national public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education.
The university is a member of the C9 League, Double First Class University Plan, Projec ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
. Since 2010, he has served as the Dean of Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences (IIIS) in Tsinghua University. In 2010, he initiated the
Conference on Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science (ITCS). Yao is also the Distinguished Professor-at-Large in the
Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university and ...
.
Awards
In 1996, Yao was awarded the
Knuth Prize. Yao also received the
Turing Award
The ACM A. M. Turing Award is an annual prize given by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for contributions of lasting and major technical importance to computer science. It is generally recognized as the highest distinction in compu ...
in 2000, one of the most prestigious awards in computer science, "in recognition of his fundamental contributions to the theory of computation, including the complexity-based theory of
pseudorandom number generation,
cryptography
Cryptography, or cryptology (from grc, , translit=kryptós "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or '' -logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adv ...
, and
communication complexity".
In 2021, Yao received the
Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology.
Yao is a member of U.S.
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nat ...
, a
fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
, a fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
, a fellow of the
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is a US-based international learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 and is the world's largest scientific and educational computing society. The ACM is a non-profit professional member ...
,
and an academician of
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republi ...
. His wife,
Frances Yao, is also a theoretical computer scientist.
See also
*
Yao's principle
*
Dolev-Yao model
*
Important publications in cryptography
*
Yao's test In cryptography and the theory of computation, Yao's test is a test defined by Andrew Chi-Chih Yao in 1982, Andrew Chi-Chih YaoTheory and applications of trapdoor functions In Proceedings of the 23rd IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Scienc ...
*
Yao's Millionaires' Problem
*
Yao graph
In computational geometry, the Yao graph, named after Andrew Yao, is a kind of geometric spanner, a weighted undirected graph connecting a set of geometric points with the property that, for every pair of points in the graph, their shortest ...
*
Garbled circuit
References
External links
Andrew Yaoat
CASTU
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yao, Andrew
1946 births
Living people
20th-century American scientists
20th-century Chinese scientists
21st-century American scientists
21st-century Chinese scientists
American computer scientists
American emigrants to China
Chinese computer scientists
Chinese emigrants to the United States
Chinese University of Hong Kong people
Fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
International Association for Cryptologic Research fellows
Knuth Prize laureates
Members of Academia Sinica
Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences
National Taiwan University alumni
Naturalized citizens of the People's Republic of China
Naturalized citizens of the United States
Former United States citizens
Princeton University faculty
Scientists from Shanghai
Stanford University Department of Computer Science faculty
Tsinghua University faculty
Turing Award laureates
Grainger College of Engineering alumni
UC Berkeley College of Engineering faculty
Kyoto laureates in Advanced Technology