What is your name and what do you do? I am Eva Tardos, professor of computer science at Cornell university. My work is on the theory of computing.
Why do you do mathematics? Was there someone in particular who motivated you to do mathematics? To be honest, I started doing mathematics as that was the subject I was good at. Luckily, doing mathematics gives me opportunities to understand important aspects of technology, and this understanding helps design better systems.
What is a typical workday like for you? Has this changed between the different stages of your career? At the moment I am department chair, so spending a lot of my time on recruiting: thinking about who to make offers to and how to attract them. I am also working with graduate students on research. I also love working with student groups. I am faculty advisor for both the Women in Computing at Cornell (WICC) and the Underrepresented Minorities in Computing (URMC). I also love teaching, but as department chair, I only teach a couple weeks in the summer.
What keeps you in research? Have you had to overcome any barriers or problems? Being able to understand how to solve problems, and then telling the world about results, is the highlight of my career. Working towards this, as well as helping students get successful in research, is what keeps me doing research. Everyone has to overcome difficulties including the frustration of research setbacks or work-life balance at times. I don’t think I faced more challenges than others.
Do you have any advice for others who are starting a mathematical career? What advice would you give a younger version of yourself? Doing mathematics is a great way to make an impact both with research, as well as with working with and teaching the next generation.
