National Mathematical Congress 2022
Interview with Shafi Goldwasser
• What is your name and what do you do?
My name is Shafi Goldwasser and I am a professor of computer science and the director of the Simons institute for theoretical computer science at Berkeley.
• Why do you do mathematics?
I was always good at mathematics, and my father encouraged me to pursue studying science.
• What is a typical work day like for you?
Meeting with students, postdocs, collaborators in person or on zoom, going to a talk, meeting with staff at the institute, writing papers for a deadline. Yes, it changed when I became a director, before that teaching was a large component of my week during the academic year.
• What keeps you in research? Have you had to overcome any barriers or problems?
The intellectual buzz it gives you when you understand how to approach a problem.
• Do you have any advice for others who are starting a mathematical career?
Stick with it, it’s a good life, being able to think for a living and create beauty and if you are lucky make an impact.