Peter Cholak, Professor in the Department of Mathematics, has been awarded the Best Paper Award at the 51st International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2026). Sponsored by the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS), the award recognizes the paper "Algorithmic Information Bounds for Distances and Orthogonal Projections," co-authored by Cholak alongside Marianna Csörnyei, Neil Lutz (who has recently joined the Computer Science Engineering department at Notre Dame), Patrick Lutz, Elvira Mayordomo, and Donald Stull.
The award-winning research brings tools from computability theory and algorithmic information theory to bear on fundamental problems in geometric measure theory. By applying effective dimension and algorithmic complexity bounds, the authors established new insights into how distances and orthogonal projections behave, demonstrating the power of mathematical logic in resolving classic questions in geometric analysis.
First held in 1972, MFCS is one of the oldest and most prestigious conference series in theoretical computer science. The 51st edition of the symposium, hosted in Paris, France in late August 2026, brings together researchers from around the globe to highlight high-quality, foundational research across all branches of theoretical computer science.
This international recognition highlights Notre Dame's continued research leadership at the intersection of mathematical logic, computability, and theoretical computer science.
Author: David Galvin