The Computer in the Sky | Theoretically Speaking

Turing-complete blockchain protocols such as Ethereum approximate the idealized abstraction of a shared “computer in the sky” by augmenting the traditional internet with persistent-state and processing capabilities.

This technology can, among other things, enable stronger notions of ownership of digital possessions than we have ever had before. Building the computer in the sky is hard (and scientifically fascinating), and requires the synthesis of multiple disciplines, both within computer science (distributed computing, cryptography, algorithmic game theory) and beyond (mechanism design, macroeconomics, finance, political science).

This talk will survey some of Tim Roughgarden’s work in the area and the practical impact it has had.

Tim Roughgarden is a Professor in the School of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study, on leave from the Department of Computer Science at Columbia University. He is also the Founding Head of Research at a16z crypto. Prior to joining Columbia, he spent 15 years on the computer science faculty at Stanford, following a PhD at Cornell and a postdoc at UC Berkeley. He works on the boundary of computer science and economics, and on the design, analysis, applications, and limitations of algorithms.

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Theoretically Speaking is a lecture series highlighting exciting advances in theoretical computer science for a broad general audience. Events are free and open to the public, with first-come, first-served seating. No special background is assumed. Registration is required. This lecture will be viewable afterward on this page and on our YouTube channel, following captioning.

Light refreshments will be provided before the talk, starting at 5 p.m.

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