Recent Computer Science Department Ph.D. graduate Euiwoong Lee is the first recipient of the newly established Edmund M. Clarke Dissertation Award. The award, endowed through a generous contribution from University Professor Emeritus Edmund M. Clarke and his wife, Martha, will annually be awarded to an outstanding Computer Science Department doctoral student.

Advised by Computer Science Professor Venkat Guruswami, Lee successfully defended his thesis, "Optimal Approximabilities Beyond CSPs" in 2017." His work expanded the frontiers of approximation algorithms with respect to the range of optimization problems, as well as mathematical tools for algorithms and hardness. He's currently engaged in postdoctoral work at New York University.

"Whether it was helping our three sons with science projects or supervising his Ph.D. students at Carnegie Mellon, Ed’s passion has always been research," said Martha, who was CSD's graduate admissions coordinator until her retirement in 2014. "He had a leading role in the conception and development of techniques for verification of computer systems, and was particularly proud of the many accomplishments of his students. The Computer Science Department has always fostered a tradition of research excellence, which provided Ed with the perfect environment to pursue his passion. With this award, we want to recognize and encourage the outstanding CSD doctoral students in their research endeavors. We are delighted to sponsor the Edmund M. Clarke Dissertation Award."