Editing Robert Sedgewick (computer scientist)

{{short description|American computer scientist}}
{{Other people|Robert Sedgewick}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = Robert Sedgewick
| image             = Robertsedgewick.jpg
| caption           = Sedgewick in 2020
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1946|12|20}}
| birth_place       = [[Willimantic, Connecticut]], United States
| field             = [[Computer science]]
| work_institutions = [[Princeton University]]<br />[[Brown University]] (1975–85)
| alma_mater        = [[Brown University]] (B.S.; M.S.)<BR>[[Stanford University]] (Ph.D.)
| doctoral_advisor  = [[Donald Knuth]]
| thesis_title      = Quicksort
| thesis_year       = 1975
| thesis_url        = http://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/870273
| prizes            = [[ACM Fellow]] (1997), Flajolet Prize, [[Leroy P. Steele Prize]], and Karlstrom Award
}}

'''Robert Sedgewick''' (born December 20, 1946) is an American [[computer scientist]]. He is the founding chair and the [[William O. Baker]] Professor in Computer Science at [[Princeton University]]<ref>[http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~rs/ Robert Sedgewick's homepage at Princeton]</ref> and was a member of the board of directors of [[Adobe Systems]] (1990–2016).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100801235553/http://people.forbes.com/profile/robert-sedgewick/1376 Forbes profile]</ref> He previously served on the faculty at [[Brown University]] and has held visiting research positions at [[Xerox PARC]], [[Institute for Defense Analyses]], and [[INRIA]].<ref>[https://www.informit.com/promotions/robert-sedgewick--141125 Informit - Robert Sedgewick]</ref> His research expertise is in algorithm science, [[data structures]], and [[analytic combinatorics]]. He is also active in developing college curriculums in computer science.<ref>[https://www.acm.org/articles/people-of-acm/2019/robert-sedgewick People of ACM - Robert Sedgewick]</ref>

== Early life ==

Sedgewick was born on December 20, 1946, in [[Willimantic, Connecticut]]. During his childhood he lived in [[Storrs, Connecticut]], where his parents Charles Hill Wallace Sedgewick and [[Rose Whelan Sedgewick]] were professors at the [[University of Connecticut]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=IRbOAwAAQBAJ&dq=charles+hill+wallace+sedgewick&pg=PA285 Pioneering Women in American Mathematics: The Pre-1940 PhD's]</ref>

In 1958, he moved with his parents to [[Wheaton, Maryland]], a suburb of [[Washington, D.C.]], where he attended [[Wheaton High School]], graduating in 1964.

== Education ==

Sedgewick earned his [[Bachelor of Science]] (1968) and [[Master of Science]] (1969) degrees in [[applied mathematics]] from [[Brown University]], where he was a student of [[Andries van Dam]].  He went on to graduate work at [[Stanford University]] where he was an advisee of [[Donald E. Knuth]], receiving his [[PhD]] in 1975.<ref>[https://www.mathgenealogy.org/id.php?id=18918 Robert Sedgewick] at the [https://www.mathgenealogy.org/ Mathematics Genealogy Project]</ref> His thesis was entitled ''Quicksort'' and was named an outstanding dissertation in computer science.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=a14ZAQAAIAAJ Outstanding dissertations in computer science, vol 18] (Garland)</ref>

== Work and academic career ==

Sedgewick returned to Brown to start his academic career as an assistant professor in 1975, with promotion to associate professor in 1980 and full professor in 1983. At Brown, he participated in the founding of the computer science department, in 1979.<ref>[http://cs.brown.edu/events/25th-anniversary/hist_text.html A Brief History of the CS Department] (Brown University)</ref>

In 1985, Sedgewick joined the faculty at Princeton University as founding chair of the Department of Computer Science<ref>[https://theprince.princeton.edu/princetonperiodicals/cgi-bin/princetonperiodicals?a=d&d=WeeklyBulletin19891113-01.2.4&srpos=2&e=01-09-1989-01-01-1990--en-20--1--txt-txIN-computer+science+building------ Computer Science building opens] (Princeton Weekly Bulletin)</ref> where he later became the [[William O. Baker]] '39 Professor of Computer Science.<ref>[https://research.princeton.edu/news/30-years-computer-science-princeton 30 years of Computer Science at Princeton]</ref> The first-year courses in computer science that he developed at Princeton became quite popular.<ref>[https://princetoninfo.com/the-new-rithmetic-computer-science/ The New 'Rithmetic: Computer Science] (US1 Princeton)</ref> He also replaced live lectures with on-demand online videos.<ref>[https://www.cs.princeton.edu/news/%E2%80%98computer-science-all%E2%80%99-really Computer Science for All, Really] (Princeton CS Department)</ref>

Throughout his career, he has worked at research institutions outside of academia during summers and sabbatical leaves:
*The Communications Research Division of the [[Institute for Defense Analyses]] in [[Princeton, New Jersey]], working on the [[CRAY-1]] supercomputer.
*Xerox Palo Alto Research Center ([[PARC (company)|PARC]]) with some of the early [[personal computer]]s
*The [[Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique]] (INRIA) in France, in collaboration with [[Philippe Flajolet]].

== Research and writing ==

Sedgewick developed [[red–black tree]]s (with [[Leonidas J. Guibas]]),<ref>A Dichromatic Framework for Balanced Trees. 19th Annual Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science, 1980.</ref> [[ternary search tree]]s (with [[Jon Bentley (computer scientist)|Jon Bentley]]),<ref>Ternary Search Trees. Dr. Dobbs Journal, March, 1998.</ref> and [[pairing heap]]s (with [[R. E. Tarjan]] and [[Michael Fredman]]).<ref>Pairing Heaps: A New Form of Self-Adjusting Heap. Algorithmica 1, 1, 1986.</ref> He solved open problems left by [[Donald Knuth]] in the analysis of [[quicksort]],<ref>The Analysis of Quicksort Programs. Acta Informatica 7, 1977.</ref> [[shellsort]],<ref>A New Upper Bound for Shellsort. Journal of Algorithms 7, 1986.</ref> [[heapsort]] (with R. Schaffer),<ref>The Analysis of Heapsort. J. of Algorithms, 1993.</ref> and [[Batcher's sort]].<ref>Data Movement in Odd-Even Merging. SIAM Journal on Computing 7, 2, 1978.</ref> With [[Philippe Flajolet]], he developed the field of mathematics known as [[analytic combinatorics]].

He has organized research meetings and conferences on [[data structures]], algorithm science, and [[analytic combinatorics]] around the world, including [[Dagstuhl]] seminars on analysis of algorithms and data structures,.<ref>[https://www.dagstuhl.de/ Schloss Dagstuhl]</ref> In particular, in 1993, together with Rainer Kemp, [[Philippe Flajolet]] and Helmut Prodinger, he initiated a series of workshops and conferences which was key to the development of a research community around the analysis of algorithms, and which evolved into the [[AofA—International Meeting on Combinatorial, Probabilistic, and Asymptotic Methods in the Analysis of Algorithms]]. Robert Sedgewick was also the main proponent and organizer of the first editions of the [[SIAM]] Meetings on Analytic Algorithmics and Combinatorics (ANALCO),<ref>[https://www.siam.org/conferences/cm/conference/analco19 ANALCO]</ref> a series of meetings annually held from 2004 to 2019, co-located with the [[Symposium on Discrete Algorithms]] (SODA).

== Publishing ==

Sedgewick is the author of twenty books, including ''Algorithms'',<ref>Algorithms, 4th edition. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 2011, {{ISBN|978-0321573513}}.</ref> originally published in 1983. His 2008 book with [[Philippe Flajolet]], ''Analytic Combinatorics'',<ref>Analytic Combinatorics. Cambridge University Press, 2009, {{ISBN|978-0521898065}}.</ref> was awarded the [[Leroy P. Steele Prize]] for mathematical exposition by the [[American Mathematical Society]].<ref>https://www.ams.org/prizes-awards/paview.cgi?parent_id=26 (American Mathematical Society)</ref> More recently, he co-authored with Kevin Wayne the book ''Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach''.<ref>Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 2016, {{ISBN|978-0134076423}}.</ref>

== Online learning ==
Sedgewick has developed [[massive open online course]]s in his area.<ref>[https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~rs/press/2013Mar_Chronicle.pdf Professors Behind the MOOC Hype] (Chronicle of Higher Education)</ref><ref>[https://www.coursera.org/instructor/~250165 Coursera]</ref><ref>[https://cuvids.io/ cuvids]</ref> With Kevin Wayne, he developed a model that integrates the textbook, studio-produced online lectures, and online content.<ref>[https://openlearning.mit.edu/events/21st-century-model-disseminating-knowledge A 21st Century Model for Disseminating Knowledge] (MIT)</ref><ref>[https://www.onlinecoursereport.com/the-50-most-popular-moocs-of-all-time/ The 50 Most Popular MOOCs of All Time] (Online Course Report)</ref> These have had over one million registrants.<ref>[https://www.coursera.org/instructor/~250165 Coursera]</ref>  He advocates for expanding the reach of [[computer science]],<ref>[https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~rs/press/2020Apr_CHE.pdf The Discipline that is Transforming Higher Ed] (Chronicle of Higher Education)</ref><ref>[https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~rs/press/2013Dec_AEI.pdf Higher Education's Internet Revolution] (American Enterprise Institute)</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/12/11/president-obama-talks-about-teaching-everyone-to-code-this-professor-does-it/  President Obama talks about teaching everyone to code. This professor does it.] (Washington Post).</ref> with essays published in the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''<ref>[https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~rs/press/2020Feb_WSJ.pdf  Should All Children Learn to Code by the End of High School?] (Wall Street Journal)</ref> and ''[[Inside Higher Ed]]''.<ref>[https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~rs/press/2019Oct_IHE.pdf Why Every Student Should Study Computer Science] (Inside Higher Ed)</ref>

== Awards ==

* [[Flajolet Lecture Prize]]. [[AofA—International Meeting on Combinatorial, Probabilistic, and Asymptotic Methods in the Analysis of Algorithms]], 2016.<ref>[https://aofa.cs.purdue.edu/flajoletprize.html Flajolet Lecture Prize] (Analysis of Algorithms)</ref>
* [[Leroy P. Steele Prize]] for Mathematical Exposition. American Mathematical Society, 2019.<ref>https://www.ams.org/prizes-awards/paview.cgi?parent_id=26 (American Mathematical Society)</ref>
* Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award. [[Association for Computing Machinery]], 2019.<ref>[https://awards.acm.org/karlstrom Karl V. Karlstrom Award]  (Association for Computing Machinery)</ref>

== Recent books and online content ==

* 	''Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach'' (with K. Wayne). Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 2016, 1131 pp. Associated online content: [https://introcs.cs.princeton.edu/ Booksite], curated lectures [https://cuvids.io/course/1 Part 1] and [https://cuvids.io/course/4 Part 2], and MOOCs [https://www.coursera.org/learn/cs-programming-java Part 1] and [https://www.coursera.org/learn/cs-algorithms-theory-machines Part 2]. 
* 	''Algorithms, Fourth Edition'' (with K. Wayne). Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 2011, 955 pp. Earlier editions: 11 books, using 5 programming languages, translated into many foreign languages, 1983–2003. Associated online content: [https://algs4.cs.princeton.edu/ Booksite], [https://cuvids.io/course/2 curated lectures], and MOOCs [https://www.coursera.org/learn/algorithms-part1 Part 1] and [https://www.coursera.org/learn/algorithms-part2 Part 2].
* 	''An Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms, Second Edition'' (with P. Flajolet). Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 2013, 572 pp. First edition, 1996. Associated online content: [https://aofa.cs.princeton.edu/ Booksite], [https://cuvids.io/course/3 curated lectures], and [https://www.coursera.org/learn/analysis-of-algorithms MOOC].
* 	''Analytic Combinatorics'' (with P. Flajolet). Cambridge University Press, 2009, 824pp. Associated online content: [https://ac.cs.princeton.edu/ Booksite], [https://cuvids.io/course/5 curated lectures], and [https://www.coursera.org/learn/analytic-combinatorics MOOC].

== Personal life ==

According to his personal website, Sedgewick lives in Princeton, New Jersey and spends summers in [[Jamestown, Rhode Island]] with his wife Linda (née Migneault), married in 1971. They have four children.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-06-04 |title=Robert Sedgewick - Robert Sedgewick |url=https://sedgewick.io/ |access-date=2024-06-02 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book |last=Sedgewick |first=Robert |author-link = <!--Robert Sedgewick (computer scientist)-->
  | title=Quicksort |publisher=Garland Publishing, Inc. |year=1980 | isbn= 0-8240-4417-7}}
*{{cite book
  |last = Sedgewick
  |first = Robert
  |title = Algorithms
  |publisher = [[Addison-Wesley]]
  |edition = 1st
  |year = 1983
  |isbn = 0-201-06672-6
  |url = https://archive.org/details/algorithms00sedg
  }}
* {{cite book |last1=Sedgewick |first1=Robert |title=Algorithms |date=1988 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |location=Reading, MA |isbn=978-0201066739 |edition=2nd}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sedgewick |first1=Robert |title=Algorithms in C |date=1990 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |location=Reading, MA |isbn=978-0201514254}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sedgewick |first1=Robert |title=Algorithms in C++ |date=1992 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |location=Reading, MA |isbn=978-0201510591}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sedgewick |first1=Robert |title=Algorithms in Modula-3 |date=1993 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |location=Reading, MA |isbn=978-0201533514}}
* {{Cite book | last1=Flajolet | first1=Philippe | last2=Sedgewick | first2=Robert | title=An Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms | isbn=978-0-201-40009-0 | year=1995 | publisher=Addison-Wesley | url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontoan00sedg_0 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Sedgewick |first1=Robert |title=Algorithms, 3rd Edition, in C, Parts 1-4: Fundamentals, Data Structures, Sorting, and Searching |date=1998 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |location=Reading, MA |isbn=978-0201314526}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sedgewick |first1=Robert |title=Algorithms, 3rd Edition, in C++, Parts 1–4: Fundamentals, Data Structures, Sorting, and Searching |date=1998 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |location=Reading, MA |isbn=978-0201350883}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sedgewick |first1=Robert |title=Algorithms, 3rd Edition, in C, Part 5: Graph Algorithms |date=2001 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |location=Reading, MA |isbn=978-020131663-6}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sedgewick |first1=Robert |title=Algorithms, 3rd Edition, in C++, Part 5: Graph Algorithms |date=2002 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |location=Reading, MA |isbn=978-0201361186}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sedgewick |first1=Robert |title=Algorithms, 3rd Edition, in Java, Parts 1–4: Fundamentals, Data Structures, Sorting, and Searching |date=2002 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |location=Reading, MA |isbn=978-0201361209}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sedgewick |first1=Robert |title=Algorithms, 3rd edition, in Java, Part 5: Graph Algorithms |date=2003 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |location=Reading, MA |isbn=978-0201361216}}
* {{Cite book | last1=Sedgewick | first1= Robert | last2=Wayne | first2=Kevin| title=An Introduction to Programming in Java: An Interdisciplinary Approach| isbn=978-0-321-49805-2 | year=2007 | publisher=Addison-Wesley | url=http://introcs.cs.princeton.edu/java/home/}}
* {{Cite book | last1=Flajolet | first1= Philippe | last2=Sedgewick | first2=Robert | title=Analytic Combinatorics | isbn=978-0-521-89806-5 | year=2009 | publisher=Cambridge University Press | title-link= Analytic Combinatorics}}
* {{Cite book | last1=Sedgewick | first1= Robert | last2=Wayne | first2=Kevin| title=Algorithms | edition = 4th | isbn=978-0-321-57351-3 | year=2011 | publisher=Addison-Wesley Professional | url=http://algs4.cs.princeton.edu}}
* {{Cite book | last1=Sedgewick | first1= Robert | last2=Wayne | first2=Kevin| title=An Introduction to Programming in Python: An Interdisciplinary Approach| isbn=978-0134076430 | year=2015 | publisher=Addison-Wesley | url=http://introcs.cs.princeton.edu/python/home/}}
* {{Cite book | last1=Sedgewick | first1= Robert | last2=Wayne | first2=Kevin| title=Algorithms: 24-part Lecture Series | isbn=978-0134384528 | year=2015 | publisher=Addison-Wesley Professional | url=https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/algorithms-24-part-lecture/9780134384528/}}
* {{Cite book | last1=Sedgewick | first1= Robert | last2=Wayne | first2=Kevin| title=Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach| isbn=978-0134076423 | year=2016 | publisher=Addison-Wesley}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://sedgewick.io/ Robert Sedgewick's home page]
*[https://www.acm.org/articles/people-of-acm/2019/robert-sedgewick People of the ACM]
*[https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=dc3FV3sAAAAJ Google Scholar]
*[https://vimeo.com/39931585 Video interview with Robert Sedgewick for Princeton Startup TV]  (04.06.2012)

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sedgewick, Robert}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American computer scientists]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Brown University faculty]]
[[Category:Princeton University faculty]]
[[Category:Stanford University School of Engineering alumni]]