Jonathan Shewchuk

Jonathan Shewchuk is a Professor in the Computer Science Division of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California at Berkeley, where he joined in 1998. His academic journey began with a B.Sc. in Physics and Computing Science from Simon Fraser University in 1990, followed by M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University in 1997.

Shewchuk's research spans computational geometry, scientific computing, numerical methods, computer graphics, and neural network mathematics. He is particularly renowned for his work on mesh generation, numerical robustness, surface reconstruction, and Delaunay triangulation. His widely-used software tools include Triangle (a 2D quality mesh generator), Stellar (for tetrahedral mesh improvement), and streaming geometric processing tools for handling massive datasets. His influential educational materials include the widely-read paper "An Introduction to the Conjugate Gradient Method Without the Agonizing Pain."

His recent research has increasingly focused on the mathematical foundations of neural networks, as evidenced by his 2024 paper "The Geometry of the Set of Equivalent Linear Neural Networks" which represents what he describes as "the best paper I've ever written." His publications consistently bridge theoretical mathematics with practical computational applications.

• Diane S. McEntyre Award for Excellence in Teaching Computer Science (2010)
• Jim and Donna Gray Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching of Computer Science (2006)
• Sloan Research Fellow (2004)
• James H. Wilkinson Prize for Numerical Software (2003)
• Okawa Research Grant (1999)
• NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (1999)

Shewchuk has mentored numerous successful students who have gone on to prominent positions at companies like Google and Hudson River Trading. His teaching portfolio includes advanced courses on computational geometry, mesh generation, machine learning, and data structures. He is also known for his influential software tools, particularly Triangle, which has become a standard in mesh generation.