Adams

Izchak Goldshtein 2015-2016

Institution of PhD:
Bar-Ilan University
Academic Discipline of PhD:
Computer Science
PhD Advisor/s:
Prof. Moshe Lewenstein and Prof. Ely Porat
Dissertation Topic:
Polynomial Lower Bounds on Algorithms and Data Structures
Present Institution:
Bar-Ilan University
Present Academic Position:
PhD Student
CV

Izchak Baruch Goldshtein was born and raised in Bnei Brak. From a very young age he was attracted by science and technology. His interest increased after he participated in an excellence program; it revealed fascinating aspects of the scientific world and opened new horizons for him.

Motivated by this interest, Izchak joined the ATUDA (academic reserve) program immediately after high school. Within the ATUDA framework he received his BSc in computer science and mathematics at a young age, graduating from Bar-Ilan University summa cum laude with many awards.

Following his graduation, Izchak began his military service in an elite IDF technology unit, where he served more than six years as a cyber-security specialist, a team leader, and a projects officer. During his army duties he garnered several prizes for professional excellence and for the significant role he played in a number of important projects.

During his military service Izchak completed his MSc in computer science at Bar-Ilan University, graduating summa cum laude. In his MSc thesis he explored a difficult variant of the famous edit distance problem, which has a wide range of applications, notably those concerning genome rearrangement issues. His work has been published and presented in important international conferences.

Izchak began his PhD studies just as he left the army. Under the joint supervision of Prof. Moshe Lewenstein and Prof. Ely Porat, he investigates polynomial lower bounds on algorithms and data structures. Izchak aims to take a wide perspective on the subject of polynomial lower bounds, which eventually may lead to further, interdisciplinary understanding of the polynomial hardness phenomena. These phenomena are important for learning the limitations of many useful algorithmic tasks. Besides his research activities, Izchak is a teaching assistant in undergraduate courses on algorithms and complexity.