David Kempe

David Kempe is a Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science at the University of Southern California (USC), part of the Viterbi School of Engineering. His research focuses on algorithms, theoretical computer science, and their applications to networks, auctions, mechanism design, and information flow. He has advised numerous Ph.D., M.S., and undergraduate students, many of whom now hold prominent roles in academia and industry.

His research has been supported by grants including NSF CAREER, Sloan Fellowship, and ONR Young Investigator awards. Kempe organizes conferences such as STOC 2018 and co-founded the USC Theory Group, fostering collaboration through regular meetings and seminars. His work bridges algorithmic foundations with real-world applications, addressing challenges in fairness, network dynamics, and machine learning.

Key achievements include developing voting rules with optimal metric distortion and algorithms for fair matching under uncertainty. His publications span influential topics in social networks, game theory, and data science. Collaborations with industry (e.g., Facebook, Snapchat) highlight applied contributions to recommendation systems and media matching.