Sami Davies

Sami Davies is a Research Scientist in Theoretical Computer Science at the Simons Institute and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Washington in 2021 under the supervision of Thomas Rothvoss, with work spanning the Department of Mathematics and the Allen School theory group. Prior to Berkeley, he was a postdoctoral researcher in the theory group at Northwestern University.

His research lies at the intersection of theoretical computer science and combinatorial optimization. Key interests include scheduling algorithms, clustering, hypergraph matchings, approximation algorithms, and algorithmic applications in machine learning. His work often addresses fundamental problems in algorithm design with practical implications in resource allocation, data analysis, and network optimization.

The most recent publications reflect a strong trend in developing efficient combinatorial algorithms for clustering and scheduling problems, particularly under complex constraints such as communication delays or fairness objectives. There is a growing integration of machine learning concepts into traditional algorithmic frameworks, as seen in works on predictive flows and trace reconstruction. His research is consistently published in top-tier venues including NeurIPS, ICML, SODA, FOCS, and COLT, indicating high impact and recognition within the theoretical CS community.

Sami is actively engaged in academic service and outreach. He has served as a mentor in the Washington Directed Reading Program and co-taught the 'Math in Society' course through FEPPS, which provides education to incarcerated individuals. He has also taught yoga at the University of Washington.

He enjoys bouldering, running with his dog, vegan cooking and baking, and practicing yoga. He completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2019.

Contact:
Email: samidavies@berkeley.edu, davies@berkeley.edu