Oral History - Russell Impagliazzo in Conversation with Dick Karp

Explore the rich history of theoretical computer science through an engaging oral history interview with Dick Karp, conducted by Russell Impagliazzo. Delve into Karp's five-year tenure as Founding Director of the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing and gain insights into key developments in the field. Learn about Karp's journey into computation, his self-perception, and his views on various aspects of computer science. Discover his contributions to flow problems, NP-completeness, and circuit minimization. Gain valuable advice on mentoring graduate students and finding one's niche in the field. Explore the evolution of computer science, data science, algorithms, and computational biology, including Karp's perspectives on cell biology. This comprehensive conversation offers a unique opportunity to learn from one of the most distinguished figures in theoretical computer science.

Introduction
How did you get interested in computation
How did you describe yourself
Is this a step forward or a step back
The flow problem
Anticipating NP completeness
The circuit minimization problem
NP completeness
Grad students
Advising students
Finding your edge
Computer Science
Data Science
Algorithms
Computational Biology
Cell Biology