Welcoming Professor Or Meir to the School of Computer Science

Professor Meir joins us in his role as Professor of Algorithms.

Or Meir

The School of Computer Science has recently welcomed Professor Meir, so we sat down with him and asked a few questions to get to know him better.

What are your key areas of research? 

OM: I work in complexity theory, which is a branch of theoretical computer science. The main question of our field can be stated roughly as "what are the problems that computers cannot solve efficiently?". This question is interesting on its own right, but also has important applications to practice.
My main focus in the last years has been to understand the limits of parallelization, that is, to understand which tasks cannot be solved on a cloud of processors much faster than they can be solved on a single processor.

Did something in particular draw you to this research field?

OM: The central questions of this field, which are both philosophically interesting and important to the practice, were the main source of attraction for me. I was also drawn to this field by my advisor, Prof. Oded Goldreich, who is an impressive figure, a pleasure to work with, and a fascinating person to talk to.


Why did you want to pursue a career in academia and, in particular, in Computer Science?

OM: The main advantages I saw in a career in academia were the intellectual challenge, which is unlike any other, and the sense of meaning that the scientific work entails.
 

What is your favourite thing about teaching the next generation of computer scientists?

OM: My favourite thing about teaching is the possibility to help people and make a positive impact that can be felt immediately. While I believe that our scientific work is making an important positive impact as well, this impact is only felt in the long-term, and is sometimes difficult to grasp. On the other hand, if I can help a student in their studies, the impact on their life is often felt immediately, and it is a very rewarding experience.
 

What attracted you to working at The University of Sheffield?

OM: While I was looking for work in the UK, I consulted several colleagues, and all of them recommended the University of Sheffield as a good place to work in.