Will Perkins

Curriculum vitae

Current:

  • Birmingham Fellow and Lecturer (assistant professor) at the University of Birmingham (UK), 2015 - present
    • Research Interests: Probability, algorithms, phase transitions, combinatorics, and statistics.
    • Email: math@willperkins.org
    • Address: School of Mathematics, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
    • Webpage: http://willperkins.org/

Previous:

  • NSF Postdoc at the Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011 - 2014
    • Hosted by: Prasad Tetali

Education:

  • New York University
    • Ph.D. in Mathematics, 2007 - 2011
    • MacCracken Fellowship
    • Advisor: Joel Spencer
  • Yale University
    • B.A. in History, 1999-2003

Awards:

  • Kurt O. Friedrichs Prize for Outstanding Dissertation in Mathematics at NYU, 2011
  • NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2011

Research Papers:


Invited Talks:

    • TBA, AIM workshop on randomized computational problems, San Jose, California, June 2017.
    • TBA, Banff workshop on Random Geometric Graphs and their Applications to Complex Networks, Banff, Canada, November 2016.
    • "Belief propagation on replica symmetric random factor graphs", Workshop on Phase Transitions in Discrete Structures, University of Frankfurt, July 2016.
    • "An Occupancy Method for Bounding Partition Functions and Counting Matchings", invited minisymposium talk, SIAM Conference on Discrete Mathematics, June 2016.
    • "Occupancy fractions, independent sets, and matchings", Random Roads: A Celebration of Joel Spencer's 70th Birthday, NYU, April 2016.
    • "An Occupancy Approach to the Hard-Core Model", Simons Institute workshop on Markov Chains and Phase Transitions, February 2016.
    • "Birthday Inequalities, Repulsion, and Hard Spheres", Birmingham Theoretical Physics Seminar, February 2016.
    • "Statistical Algorithms and Planted Satisfiability Problems", Cambridge Statistics Seminar, February 2016.
    • "Algorithms and Barriers for Random Hypergraph Partitioning", Bristol Algorithms Days, University of Bristol, February 2016.
    • "An Occupancy Approach to the Hard-Core Model", Probability Seminar, Universite Paris Ouest Nanterre La Defense, January 2016.
    • "An Occupancy Approach to the Hard-Core Model", Discrete Math Seminar, Goethe University of Frankfurt, December 2015.
    • "Statistical Algorithms for Planted Satisfiability Problems", Algorithms Seminar, Oxford University, November 2015.
    • "An excluded volume approach to hard spheres, independent sets, and matchings", Probability Seminar, University of Bath, October 2015.
    • "On the Complexity of Random Satisfiability Problems with Planted Solutions", STOC 2015, Portland, OR, June 2015.
    • "Birthday Inequalities, Hard Spheres, and Independent Sets", London Colloquia in Combinatorics, LSE, May 2015.
    • "Birthday Inequalities, Hard Spheres, and Independent Sets", Combinatorics Seminar, University of Cambridge, April 2015.
    • "Spectral Algorithms for Random Hypergraph Partitioning", DIMAP Seminar, University of Warwick, April 2015.
    • "Algorithmic Partitioning of Random Hypergraphs", Combinatorics and Game Theory Seminar, London School of Economics, March 2015.
    • "Birthday Inequalities and Hard Spheres", Combinatorics Seminar, University of Birmingham, January 2015.
    • "Stochastic Block Models and Planted CSP's", Probability and Related Fields Seminar, Indiana University, December 2014.
    • "Algorithmically Partitioning Random Hypergraphs", Penn/Temple Probability Seminar, December 2014.
    • "Stochastic block models and planted CSP's", Probability Seminar, University of Minnesota, October 2014.
    • "Grading Schemes to Prioritize Learning", Georgia Tech CETL, Innovations in Teaching, October 2014.
    • "Finding Planted Partitions in Random Hypergraphs", SIAM Conference on Discrete Mathematics, Probabilistic Combinatorics Minisymposium, June 2014.
    • "Algorithmic Partitioning of Random Hypergraphs", Atlanta Lecture Series in Combinatorics and Graph Theory, April 2014.
    • "Sharp Thresholds in Random Geometric Graphs", New Frontiers in Random Geometric Graphs, Lorentz Center, Leiden, April 2014.
    • "Finding Planted Partitions in Random Hypergraphs", Golosino Seminar, ESPCI Paris, April 2014.
    • "Thresholds for Random Geometric k-SAT", Combinatorics Seminar, Emory University, November 2013.
    • "Thresholds for Random Geometric k-SAT", Stochastics Seminar, Georgia Tech, October 2013.
    • "Random k-SAT and the Power of Two Choices", Combinatorics Seminar, University of Illinois Chicago, May 2013.
    • "Random k-SAT and the Power of Two Choices", Theory Seminar, Courant Institute, February 2013.
    • "Random k-SAT and the Power of Two Choices", CS Theory/Math Seminar, Purdue, February 2013.
    • "Spatial Large Deviations in the Branching Random Walk", Probability Seminar, UCLA, January 2013.
    • "Large Deviations in the Branching Random Walk", ACO Student Seminar, Georgia Tech, October 2012.
    • "The Power of Two Choices in Random Graphs and CSP's", Algebra and Discrete Math seminar, Clemson University, October 2012.
    • "Random k-SAT and the Power of Two Choices" at the Georgia Tech Combinatorics Seminar, September 2012.
    • "Achlioptas Processes: Recent Results and New Problems" at SIAM Conference on Discrete Math, Halifax, Canada, June 2012.
    • "The Differential Equation Method and Phase Transitions in Random Graphs" at Yandex Corporation, Moscow, Russia, May 2012.
    • "The Bohman-Frieze Process" at the Foundations of Computer Science Seminar, Weizmann Institute, May 2011.
    • "The Bohman-Frieze Process" at the Theory of Computation Seminar, Tel Aviv University, May 2011.
    • "The Bohman-Frieze Process" at the Combinatorics Seminar, Georgia Tech, April 2011.
    • "Phase Transitions of Achlioptas Processes" at the ACO Seminar, Carnegie Mellon, March 2011.
    • "The Bohman-Frieze Process" at the Probability and Mathematical Physics Seminar, NYU, February 2011.
    • "The Bohman-Frieze Process" at the Discrete Math Seminar, Rutgers, February 2011.
    • "Phase Transitions of Achlioptas Processes" at the Discrete Math Seminar, Princeton, February 2011.
    • "The Bohman-Frieze Process" at the Methods for Discrete Structures Monday Colloquium. Berlin, Germany, December 2010.
    • "Hardness of Finding Independent Sets in Almost 3-Colorable Graphs" at FOCS. Las Vegas, NV, October 2010.
    • "The Forgetfulness of Balls and Bins" at the ETH Mittagsseminar, Zurich, Switzerland, September 2010.
    • "The Forgetfulness of Balls and Bins" at the Computer Science Theory Seminar, Courant Institute. New York, March 2010.

Academic Visits:

  • Postdoc at the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), Minneapolis, MN, Fall 2014
    • Part of the Annual Program in Discrete Structures: Analysis and Applications
  • Paris-Est, Marne-la-Vallee, Paris. April 2014.
  • AIM Squares Workshop on New Directions in Mass Transport, Palo Alto, CA. September, 2013.
  • Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. August 2013.
  • UCLA, Los Angeles, CA. January 2013.
  • Moscow State University & Yandex Corporation, Moscow, Russia. May 2012.
  • Weizmann Institute & Tel Aviv University, Israel. May 2011.
  • Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. August - December 2010.

Professional Service

Referee For:

  • Probability Theory and Related Fields
  • Random Structures and Algorithms
  • STOC
  • FOCS
  • Journal of the ACM
  • SICOMP
  • Annals of Applied Probability
  • SIAM Journal on Discrete Mathematics
  • RANDOM / APPROX
  • COLT
  • SODA

Teaching:

  • Instructor at Birmingham:
    • Fall 2017, 2STAT: Statistics
    • Spring 2016, 3COM/4COM: Combinatorics
  • Instructor at Georgia Tech:
    • Fall 2013, Math 4221: Stochastic Processes I
    • Spring 2013, Math 6221: Advanced Classical Probability
    • Fall 2012, Math 4221: Stochastic Processes I
    • Spring 2012, Math 3215: Probability and Statistics
    • Spring 2012, CS 8803: Discrete Fourier Analysis and Applications
  • Instructor at NYU:
    • Summer 2010: Linear Algebra
    • Fall 2010: Written Exam Workshop
    • Spring 2009: Math Patterns in Nature

Previous Employment:

  • University of Michigan:
    • Assistant Men's Rowing Coach, 2005 - 2007
  • St. Ignatius College Prep, Chicago, IL:
    • Head Boys' and Girls' Rowing Coach, 2003 - 2005