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Jennifer Tour Chayes facts for kids

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Jennifer Tour Chayes
Jennifer Tour Chayes vid 02.png
in 2017
Born
Alma mater Wesleyan University
Princeton University
Known for Phase transitions
Discrete mathematics
Graph theory
Game theory
Network theory
Spouse(s) Christian Borgs
Scientific career
Fields Physics
Mathematics
Theoretical computer science
Institutions UC Berkeley
Microsoft Research New England
Microsoft Research New York City
UCLA
Cornell University
Harvard University
Thesis The Inverse Problem, Plaquette Percolation and a Generalized Potts Model (1983)
Doctoral advisor Elliott H. Lieb
Michael Aizenman

Jennifer Tour Chayes is a very important scientist. She is currently the dean of the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society at the University of California, Berkeley. Before this, she worked at Microsoft Research New England and Microsoft Research New York City. She even started these research centers!

Jennifer Chayes is famous for her work in mathematics and computer science. She studies how things change, like how a liquid turns into a gas. She also looks at how networks, like social media networks or computer networks, grow and behave. She is a top expert in understanding these complex systems.

She joined Microsoft Research in 1997. There, she helped create the Theory Group. She earned her Ph.D. in mathematical physics from Princeton University in 1983. She has also been a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Jennifer Chayes has written almost 120 scientific papers. She also holds more than 25 patents for her inventions.

Early Life and School

Jennifer Chayes was born in New York City. She grew up in White Plains, New York. Her parents were immigrants from Iran. She went to Wesleyan University and studied Biology and Physics. She graduated first in her class in 1979.

After that, she went to Princeton University. There, she earned her Ph.D. in Mathematical Physics. She continued her studies at Harvard University and Cornell University.

Her Amazing Career

In 1987, Jennifer Chayes became a tenured mathematics professor at UCLA. This means she earned a permanent teaching position. In 1997, she was asked to start a new group at Microsoft Research Redmond. This group, called the Theory Group, studies big questions in computer science. They use ideas from physics and mathematics to solve problems.

In 2008, Jennifer Chayes opened Microsoft Research New England. She worked with Christian Borgs to create this lab. It brings together computer scientists and social scientists. They work to understand how people use computers and the internet. In 2012, she also helped open Microsoft Research New York City. This lab also combines computer science with social sciences. They study things like economics and how people behave online.

Before joining Berkeley, Jennifer Chayes was a Managing Director at both Microsoft Research New England and Microsoft Research New York City. She helped create ways to understand how different networks work. She also helped design methods for online auctions. She even worked on business models for the online world.

Important Groups and Awards

Jennifer Chayes is part of many important groups. She serves on boards and committees for science and math. For example, she is on the committee that chooses the winner of the Turing Award. This award is like the Nobel Prize for computer science. She has also been a leader in the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

She is a Fellow of many important organizations. These include the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Mathematical Society. Being a Fellow means she is recognized as a top expert in her field. In 2020, she was honored by the Association for Women in Mathematics. They recognized her for being a leader for women in math and technology. She also received an Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Awards in 2012. In 2019, she was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United States.

Awards and Honors

Personal Life

Jennifer Chayes married Christian Borgs in 1993.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Jennifer Tour Chayes para niños

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