Emanuele “Manu” Viola
Professor
Khoury College of Computer Sciences
Northeastern University
Theory of
computation at Northeastern University.
| Email: | (my five-letter last name)@ccs.neu.edu |
| Tel: | 617-373-8298 |
Office: | 440 Huntington Av., #338 West Village H (WVH) |
| Mail: | 360 Huntington Av., #202 WVH, |
| Boston, MA 02115 |
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Curriculum vitae.
Is the computer ever slow?
I want to know why.
But I am not interested in explanations grounded in human choice.
I want to know if there is an intrinsic, mathematical reason why some tasks take longer than others.
These slides are released under
Creative Commons License Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States. Also, let me know if you use them.
More slides can be found in
this directory.
Videos for an online course on algorithms.
On my Youtube channel you can also find videos of a course on theory of computation.
| Complexity theory, Spring 2023, Piazza link. All communication is on piazza. If you can't access piazza send me an email.
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| Special topics in complexity theory Fall 2017.
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| M.S. Algorithms
Fall 2012, Summer 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017 x 2,
Spring 2019 x 2 (also on blackboard),
Summer 2019 (also on blackboard), Summer 1 2020 (also on blackboard), Fall 2020 (also on canvas).
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Theory of
Computation
Fall 2010,
Fall 2011 ,
Spring 2012 ,
Fall 2012,
Spring 2014, Fall 2016.
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| Ph.D. (core) Theory of
Computation
Spring 2010,
Spring 2011,
Spring 2012,
Spring 2013,
Spring 2014.
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Ph.D. (core) Advanced Algorithms
Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2013. |
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Gems of Theoretical Computer Science Spring 2009. |
Papers
On correlation bounds against polynomials
With Peter Ivanov and Liam Pavlovic
In Conf. on Computational Complexity (CCC), 2023
Document
New sampling lower bounds via the separator
In Conf. on Computational Complexity (CCC), 2023
Document
Efficient resilient functions
With Peter Ivanov and Raghu Meka
In ACM-SIAM Symp. on Discrete Algorithms (SODA), 2023
Document
Fooling polynomials by preserving indecomposability
With Harm Derksen
In IEEE Symp. on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS), 2022
Document
Affine extractors and AC0-Parity
With Xuangui Huang and Peter Ivanov
In Workshop on Randomization and Computation (RANDOM), 2022
Document
Pseudorandom bits and lower bounds for randomized Turing machines
Theory of Computing, vol. 18, num. 10, pp. 1--12, 2022
Document
On Hardness Assumptions Needed for ``Extreme High-End'' PRGs and Fast Derandomization
With Ronen Shaltiel
In ACM Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science conf. (ITCS), 2022
Document
Mixing in non-quasirandom groups
With W. T. Gowers
In ACM Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science conf. (ITCS), 2022
Document Video
Approximate Degree-Weight and Indistinguishability
With Xuangui Huang
To appear in ACM Trans. Computation Theory
Document
Fourier growth of structured F2-polynomials and applications
With Jaroslaw Blasiok and Peter Ivanov and Yaonan Jin and Chin Ho Lee and Rocco A. Servedio
In Workshop on Randomization and Computation (RANDOM), 2021
Document
Fourier conjectures, correlation bounds, and Majority
In Coll. on Automata, Languages and Programming (ICALP), 2021
Document Video
Average-case rigidity lower bounds
With Xuangui Huang
In Computer Science Symp. in Russia (CSR), 2021
Document
New lower bounds for probabilistic degree and AC0 with parity gates
To appear in Theory of Computing
Document
AC0 unpredictability
To appear in ACM Trans. Computation Theory
Document
More on bounded independence plus noise: Pseudorandom generators for read-once polynomials
With Chin Ho Lee
Theory of Computing, vol. 16, pp. 1--50, 2020
Document
Lower bounds for data structures with space close to maximum imply circuit lower bounds
Theory of Computing, vol. 15, pp. 1-9, 2019
Document
Sampling lower bounds: boolean average-case and permutations
SIAM J. on Computing, vol. 49, num. 1, 2020
Document Slides
How to Store a Random Walk
With Omri Weinstein and Huacheng Yu
In ACM-SIAM Symp. on Discrete Algorithms (SODA), 2020
Document
Constant-error pseudorandomness proofs from hardness require majority
ACM Trans. Computation Theory, vol. 11, num. 4, pp. 19:1--19:11, 2019
Document
What do humans perceive in asset returns?
With Jasmina Hasanhodzic and Andrew Lo
Journal of Portfolio Management, vol. 45, num. 4, pp. 49-60, 2019
Press coverage: Financial Times (link), MIT Technology Review
In Northern Finance Association (NFA), 2012
In Southern Economic Association (SEA), 2012
Ten years after its deployment, the game was taken out of commission in 2018 due to repeated attacks to the server
Document
Indistinguishability by adaptive procedures with advice, and lower bounds on hardness amplification proofs
With Aryeh Grinberg and Ronen Shaltiel
In IEEE Symp. on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS), 2018
Document
Revisiting Frequency Moment Estimation in Random Order Streams
With Vladimir Braverman and David P. Woodruff and Lin F. Yang
In Coll. on Automata, Languages and Programming (ICALP), 2018
Document
The coin problem for product tests
With Chin Ho Lee
ACM Trans. Computation Theory, vol. 10, num. 3, 2018
Document
Local Expanders
With Avi Wigderson
Computational Complexity, vol. 27, num. 2, pp. 225-244, 2018
Document
Bounded independence plus noise fools products
With Elad Haramaty and Chin Ho Lee
SIAM J. on Computing, vol. 47, num. 2, pp. 295-615, 2018
Preliminary version in Conf. on Computational Complexity (CCC), 2017
Document
Block-symmetric polynomials correlate with parity better than symmetric
With Frederic Green and Daniel Kreymer
Computational Complexity, vol. 26, num. 2, pp. 323-364, 2017
Document Slides Code
Some limitations of the sum of small-bias distributions
With Chin Ho Lee
Theory of Computing, vol. 13, 2017
Document
Interleaved group products
With W. T. Gowers
SIAM J. on Computing, vol. 48, num. 3, pp. 554--580, 2019
Preliminary version in IEEE Symp. on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS), 2016
FOCS Special Issue
Slides of talk given at a 2017 workshop on additive combinatorics
The journal version includes the results appearing in the STOC 2015 (below) and FOCS 2016 (doc, slides) conference versions
Document
Bounded Independence versus Symmetric Tests
With Ravi Boppana and Johan Hastad and Chin Ho Lee
ACM Trans. Computation Theory, vol. 11, num. 4, pp. 21:1--21:27, 2019
Preliminary version in Workshop on Randomization and Computation (RANDOM), 2016
Document
Bounded indistinguishability and the complexity of recovering secrets
With Andrej Bogdanov and Yuval Ishai and Christopher Williamson
In Int. Cryptology Conf. (CRYPTO), 2016
Document
Quadratic maps are hard to sample
ACM Trans. Computation Theory, vol. 8, num. 4, 2016
Document
Local reductions
With Hamid Jahanjou and Eric Miles
Information and Computation, vol. 261, num. 2, 2018
Preliminary version in Coll. on Automata, Languages and Programming (ICALP), 2015
ICALP Special issue
Video of talk given at the Simons institute in 2015
Document Slides
The communication complexity of interleaved group products
With W. T. Gowers
In ACM Symp. on the Theory of Computing (STOC), 2015
Video of talk given at the FOCS 2014 workshop on higher-order Fourier analysis
Document
On Randomness Extraction in AC0
With Oded Goldreich and Avi Wigderson
In IEEE Conf. on Computational Complexity (CCC), 2015
Document Slides
3SUM, 3XOR, Triangles
With Zahra Jafargholi
Algorithmica, pp. 1-18, 2014
Video of talk given at the Simons institute in 2015
Document
Short PCPs with projection queries
With Eli Ben-Sasson
In Coll. on Automata, Languages and Programming (ICALP), 2014
Document
Real advantage
With Alexander Razborov
ACM Trans. Computation Theory, vol. 5, num. 4, pp. 17, 2013
Document
Shielding circuits with groups
With Eric Miles
In ACM Symp. on the Theory of Computing (STOC), 2013
Document
On the complexity of information spreading in dynamic networks
With Chinmoy Dutta and Gopal Pandurangan and Rajmohan Rajaraman and Zhifeng Sun
In ACM-SIAM Symp. on Discrete Algorithms (SODA), 2013
Document
The communication complexity of addition
Combinatorica, pp. 1-45, 2014
Preliminary version in ACM-SIAM Symp. on Discrete Algorithms (SODA), 2013
Document Slides
Extractors for Turing-machine sources
In Workshop on Randomization and Computation (RANDOM), 2012
Document Slides
Substitution-permutation networks, pseudorandom functions, and natural proofs
With Eric Miles
J. of the ACM, vol. 62, num. 6, 2015
Preliminary version in Int. Cryptology Conf. (CRYPTO), 2012
Document
Tight bounds on computing error-correcting codes by bounded-depth circuits with arbitrary gates
With Anna Gal and Kristoffer Arnsfelt Hansen and Michal Koucky and Pavel Pudlak
IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 59, num. 10, pp. 6611-6627, 2013
Preliminary version in ACM Symp. on the Theory of Computing (STOC), 2012
Document Slides
Extractors for circuit sources
SIAM J. on Computing, vol. 43, num. 2, pp. 355-972, 2014
Preliminary version in IEEE Symp. on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS), 2011
FOCS Special Issue
Document Slides
On beating the hybrid argument
With Bill Fefferman and Ronen Shaltiel and Christopher Umans
Theory of Computing, vol. 9, pp. 809-843, 2013
Preliminary version in ACM Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science conf. (ITCS), 2012
Document
Randomness buys depth for approximate counting
Computational Complexity, vol. 23, num. 3, pp. 479-508, 2014
Preliminary version in IEEE Symp. on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS), 2011
Document Slides
On the complexity of constructing pseudorandom functions (especially when they don't exist)
With Eric Miles
J. of Cryptology, pp. 1-24, 2013
Preliminary version in Theory of Cryptography Conf. (TCC), 2011
Document
A Computational View of Market Efficiency
With Jasmina Hasanhodzic and Andrew W. Lo
Quantitative Finance, vol. 11, num. 7, 2011
Document
Bounded-depth circuits cannot sample good codes
With Shachar Lovett
Computational Complexity, vol. 21, num. 2, pp. 245-266, 2012
Preliminary version in IEEE Conf. on Computational Complexity (CCC), 2011
CCC Special issue
Document
The complexity of distributions
SIAM J. on Computing, vol. 41, num. 1, pp. 191-218, 2012
Preliminary version in 51th IEEE Symp. on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS), 2010
Subsumes the manuscript ``Are all distributions easy?''
Document Slides Video
Cell-probe lower bounds for succinct partial sums
With Mihai Patrascu
In 21th ACM-SIAM Symp. on Discrete Algorithms (SODA), 2010
A related Paper
Document Slides
Bounded Independence Fools Halfspaces
With Ilias Diakonikolas and Parikshit Gopalan and Ragesh Jaiswal and Rocco A. Servedio
SIAM J. on Computing, vol. 39, num. 8, pp. 3441-3462, 2010
Preliminary version in 50th IEEE Symp. on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS), 2009
This paper in particular shows that the central-limit theorem holds even for variables that are only k-wise independent.
Document Slides
Bit-probe lower bounds for succinct data structures
SIAM J. on Computing, vol. 41, num. 6, pp. 1593--1604, 2012
Preliminary version in 41th ACM Symp. on the Theory of Computing (STOC), 2009
STOC Special Issue
Document Slides
Improved separations between nondeterministic and randomized multiparty communication
With Matei David and Toniann Pitassi
ACM Trans. Computation Theory, vol. 1, num. 2, pp. 1--20, 2009
Preliminary version in 12th Workshop on Randomization and Computation (RANDOM), 2008
Document
The sum of d small-bias generators fools polynomials of degree d
Computational Complexity, vol. 18, num. 2, pp. 209-217, 2009
Preliminary version in IEEE Conf. on Computational Complexity (CCC), 2008
Best paper award
Document Slides
Hardness amplification proofs require majority
With Ronen Shaltiel
SIAM J. on Computing, vol. 39, num. 7, pp. 3122-3154, 2010
Preliminary version in 40th ACM Symp. on the Theory of Computing (STOC), 2008
Document Slides
One-way multiparty communication lower bound for pointer jumping with applications
With Avi Wigderson
Combinatorica, vol. 29, num. 6, pp. 719-743, 2009
Preliminary version in 48th IEEE Symp. on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS), 2007
Invited to FOCS Special Issue
Document Slides
Pseudorandom bits for polynomials
With Andrej Bogdanov
SIAM J. on Computing, vol. 39, num. 6, pp. 2464-2486, 2010
Preliminary version in IEEE Symp. on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS), 2007
FOCS Special Issue
Document Slides
Norms, XOR lemmas, and lower bounds for polynomials and protocols
With Avi Wigderson
Theory of Computing, vol. 4, pp. 137-168, 2008
Preliminary version in IEEE Conf. on Computational Complexity (CCC), 2007
The results on polynomials appeared also in the 2006 Report "New correlation bounds for GF(2) polynomials using Gowers uniformity"
Document Slides
On approximate majority and probabilistic time
Computational Complexity, vol. 18, num. 3, pp. 337-375, 2009
Preliminary version in IEEE Conf. on Computational Complexity (CCC), 2007
Document Slides
Pseudorandom Bits for Constant-Depth Circuits with Few Arbitrary Symmetric Gates
SIAM J. on Computing, vol. 36, num. 5, pp. 1387-1403, 2007
Preliminary version in 20th IEEE Conf. on Computational Complexity (CCC), 2005
SIAM Student Paper Prize
Document Slides
On Constructing Parallel Pseudorandom Generators from One-Way Functions
In 20th IEEE Conf. on Computational Complexity (CCC), 2005
Document Slides
Constant-Depth Circuits for Arithmetic in Finite Fields of Characteristic Two
With Alexander Healy
In 23rd Symp. on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS), 2006
Document
Fooling Parity Tests with Parity Gates
With Dan Gutfreund
In 8thWorkshop on Randomization and Computation (RANDOM), 2004
Document Slides
Using Nondeterminism to Amplify Hardness
With Alexander Healy and Salil P. Vadhan
SIAM J. on Computing, vol. 35, num. 4, pp. 903-931, 2006
Preliminary version in ACM Symp. on the Theory of Computing (STOC), 2004
STOC Special Issue
Document Slides
The Complexity of Constructing Pseudorandom Generators from Hard Functions
Computational Complexity, vol. 13, num. 3-4, pp. 147--188, 2004
Preliminary version in IEEE Conf. on Computational Complexity (CCC), 2003
Document Slides
E-unifiability via Narrowing
In 7th Italian Conference on Theoretical Computer Science (ICTCS), 2001
Document Slides
Non-abelian combinatorics and communication complexity
SIGACT News, Complexity Theory Column, vol. 50, num. 3, 2019
Invited survey
Document
Challenges in computational lower bounds
SIGACT News, Open Problems Column, vol. 48, num. 1, 2017
Document
Selected Results in Additive Combinatorics: An Exposition
Theory of Computing Library, Graduate Surveys series, vol. 3, pp. 1-15, 2011
Document
On the power of small-depth computation
Foundations and Trends in Theoretical Computer Science, vol. 5, num. 1, pp. 1--72, 2009
Invited survey, subsumes SIGACT 2009 survey
Document
Correlation bounds for polynomials over {0,1}
SIGACT News, Complexity Theory Column, vol. 40, num. 1, 2009
Invited survey
Document
The Complexity of Hardness Amplification and Derandomization
Ph.D. thesis, Harvard University, 2006
Document Slides
Mathematics of the impossible: Computational Complexity (working draft of a book)
Manuscript, 2023
Document
Correlation bounds against polynomials, a survey
Manuscript, 2022
Document
Quasirandom groups enjoy interleaved mixing
With Harm Derksen
Manuscript, 2022
Document
Special topics in complexity theory
Manuscript, 2017
Lecture notes of the class taught at Northeastern University
Document
Succinct and explicit circuits for sorting and connectivity
With Hamid Jahanjou and Eric Miles
Manuscript, 2014
Document
On a special case of rigidity
With Rocco A. Servedio
Manuscript, 2012
Document
From RAM to SAT
With NEU
Manuscript, 2012
Document
Think like the pros
Manuscript, 2011
Lecture notes aimed towards students lacking mathematical maturity
Document
Reducing 3XOR to listing triangles, an exposition
Manuscript, 2011
Document
Gems of Theoretical Computer Science
Manuscript, 2009
Lecture notes of the class taught at Northeastern University
Document
| Visitor: | Elena Grigorescu (Spring 2020) |
| Yevgeniy Dodis (Spring and Summer 2013) |
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| Postdoc: | Elad Haramaty (Fall 2014 - Summer 2016). First job: Postdoc at Harvard. |
| Chinmoy Dutta (partial mentoring, January 2011 - January 2013). First job: Twitter Engineering. |
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| Ph. D.: |
Peter Ivanov (Summer 2019-present) |
| Xuangui Huang (Fall 2017-present) |
| Chin Ho Lee (Fall 2013-Summer 2019).
First job: Postdoc at Columbia.
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Tanay Mehta (Summer 2016-Summer 2017)
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Hamid Jahanjou (Fall 2011-Summer 2014), then worked with Rajmohan Rajaraman
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| Zahra Jafargholi (Fall 2011-Summer 2013), then worked with Daniel Wichs. First job: Postdoc at Aarhus University. |
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Eric Miles (Fall 2008-Spring 2014). First job: Postdoc at UCLA.
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| M. S.: | Dolphy Fernandes (Summer 2009) |
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| B. S.: |
Liam Pavlovic (Summer 2020 -- Fall 2020) Then Ph.D. student at Northeastern University |
| Daniel Kreymer (various intervals during 2009-2012). First job: Amazon |
| Sky O'Mara (Summer 2009) |
Correlation bounds and all that.
Mixing in groups.
Why do lower bounds stop just before proving "major results?".
Video of 2018 talk on the complexity of distributions here.
More slides of my talks are here.
L2w (A Latex/Lyx to Wordpress converter). See the blog post.
Blah (Bibtex to LaTeX and HTML).
The bibliographies in this page and in my cv are both generated from a bib file (sample) using
this Perl script I wrote. Blah supports several features that I could not find in the other 127 solutions available online, see the documentation at the beginning of the script.
Flexiblemathdisplay redefines \[ \] to automatically switch between equation, multline*, etc.
Theomac, to restate theorems.
Bibspacing, to remove spaces between bibliographic entries.
Editorial board, SIAM Journal on Computing (SICOMP) 2019 -- present.
Editorial board, ACM Transactions on Computation Theory (TOCT) 2015.
Scientific board, Electronic Colloquium on
Computational Complexity (ECCC) 2009 -- present.
IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS) 2022.
International Colloquium on Automata, Languages and Programming (ICALP) 2022.
Conference on Computational Complexity (CCC)
2021.
58th Annual IEEE Symposium on
Foundations of Computer Science
(FOCS) 2017.
ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms (SODA)
2014.
28th IEEE Conference on Computational Complexity (CCC)
2013.
16th International Workshop on Randomization and Computation (RANDOM)
2012.
25th IEEE Conference on Computational Complexity (CCC)
2010.
13th International Workshop on Randomization and Computation (RANDOM)
2009.
49th IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS) 2008.
11th International Workshop on Randomization and Computation (RANDOM)
2007.
Black Viper
Videogame produced and distributed throughout Europe by NEO Software Productions GmbH, Germany, 1996.
Longplay
Press coverage
Compressione dei suoni
Amigamagazine, Anno 7, Ottobre 1994
Paper (in Italian)
Nathan Never
Videogame produced by GENIAS and distributed in Italy by Softel, Rome, Italy, 1992
Longplay
Press coverage
I coded up the game in assembly when I was 14.
Bonus
How I looked back then.
My mother and I write fiction together. Our works have a philosophical/mathematical bent,
and touch on topics such as cryptography, paradoxes, randomness, and the P vs. NP problem. We write in Italian, but we are slowly translating some works into English. As of now, only one tale is available for download in English:
The Tournament
Tale
Next are some of our works in Italian, with something more available for download. More information on our writing process is here.
Libro
Racconti
The Northeastern Computer Science building towers over the adjacent Back Bay Fens.
Juggling
small, big.
Ripface
small, big.
Some pictures of my wedding.
