Peter Manohar

Peter Manohar is a postdoctoral researcher in the Computer Science and Discrete Math group at the Institute for Advanced Study, focusing on Theoretical Computer Science with emphasis on algorithms, coding theory, and cryptography. His work explores spectral algorithms for semirandom and smoothed instances of NP-hard constraint satisfaction problems, linking these methods to coding theory, extremal combinatorics, and cryptography.

• Education:
  • PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University, advised by Venkatesan Guruswami and Pravesh K. Kothari
  • B.S. in EECS from UC Berkeley, advised by Alessandro Chiesa and Ren Ng
• Research Trends: His recent publications highlight advancements in spectral refutation techniques, locally decodable/correctable codes, and connections between complexity theory and coding. Articles span venues like FOCS, STOC, APPROX, and arXiv, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach.
• Awards: He has received prestigious NSF and Cylab Presidential Fellowships, along with ARCS scholarships during his PhD. His work on quantum proofs (TCC 2019) and constraint satisfaction problems has been recognized in invited journal special issues.
• Teaching & Collaboration: Peter has taught courses at Carnegie Mellon, including Quantum Computing and Computer Graphics. He interned at TTIC in Summer 2023 and co-organized CMU's Theory Club, demonstrating active engagement in academic communities.