Ryan O'Donnell

Basic info

    

Teaching

      Assistant Professor
      School of Computer Science
      Carnegie Mellon University
      7121 Wean Hall
      my email address

Spring 2008: 15-854B: Advanced Approximation Algorithms

Fall 2007: 15-359: Probability and Computing

Spring 2007: 15-859S: Analysis of Boolean Functions

Autumn 2005: CSE 533: The PCP Theorem and Hardness of Approximation (University of Washington)

Research publications

    

Other

Cubical tilings with sphere-like surface area
G. Kindler, A. Rao, R. O'Donnell, A. Wigderson.
      Manuscript

Some topics in analysis of boolean functions
R. O'Donnell.
      Manuscript

Polynomial regression under arbitrary product distributions
E. Blais, R. O'Donnell, K. Wimmer.
      COLT '08

3-Bit Long Code testing
R. O'Donnell, Y. Wu.
      In preparation

Learning geometric concepts via Gaussian surface area
A. Klivans, R. O'Donnell, R. Servedio.
      Manuscript

The Chow Parameters problem (pdf)
R. O'Donnell, R. Servedio.
      STOC '08

An optimal SDP algorithm for Max-Cut, and equally optimal Long Code tests (pdf)
R. O'Donnell, Y. Wu.
      STOC '08

Approximation by DNF: examples and counterexamples (pdf)
R. O'Donnell, K. Wimmer.
      ICALP '07

Understanding parallel repetition requires understanding foams (pdf)
U. Feige, G. Kindler, R. O'Donnell.
      Complexity '07

Testing halfspaces (pdf)
K. Matulef, R. Rubinfeld, R. O'Donnell, S. Servedio.
      To appear

SDP gaps and UGC-hardness for MaxCutGain (ps, pdf)
S. Khot, R. O'Donnell.
      FOCS '06

PAC learning mixtures of Gaussians with no separation assumption (ps, pdf)
J. Feldman, R. O'Donnell, R. Servedio.
      COLT '06

Eliminating cycles in the discrete torus (ps, pdf)
B. Bollobás, G. Kindler, I. Leader, R. O'Donnell.
      To appear in Algorithmica
      Conference version: LATIN '06

On the Fourier tails of bounded functions over the discrete cube (ps, pdf)
I. Dinur, E. Friedgut, G. Kindler, R. O'Donnell.
      Israel Journal of Mathematics 160(1), pp. 389-412 (2007)
      Conference version: STOC '06

Noise stability of functions with low influences: invariance and optimality (ps, pdf)
E. Mossel, R. O'Donnell, K. Oleszkiewicz.
      To appear in Annals of Mathematics
      10 page FOCS '05 version: ps, pdf

Every decision tree has an influential variable (ps, pdf)
R. O'Donnell, M. Saks, O. Schramm, R. Servedio.
      FOCS '05

Learning monotone decision trees in polynomial time (ps, pdf)
R. O'Donnell, R. Servedio.
      SIAM Journal of Computing 37(3), pp. 827-844 (2007).
      Conference version: Complexity '06

Optimal inapproximability results for MAX-CUT and other two-variable CSPs? (ps, pdf)
S. Khot, G. Kindler. E. Mossel, R. O'Donnell.
      SIAM Journal of Computing 37(1), pp. 319-357 (2007).
      Conference version: FOCS '04

Non-interactive correlation distillation, inhomogeneous Markov chains,
                                                      and the reverse Bonami-Beckner inequality
(ps, pdf)
E. Mossel, R. O'Donnell, O. Regev, J. Steif, B. Sudakov.
      Israel Journal of Mathematics 154(1), pp. 299-336 (2006)

Learning mixtures of product distributions over discrete domains (ps, pdf)
J. Feldman, R. O'Donnell, R. Servedio.
      To appear in SIAM Journal of Computing
      Conference version: FOCS '05

My 2003 MIT PhD thesis: Computational applications of noise sensitivity (ps, pdf)

Learning DNF from random walks (ps, pdf)
N. Bshouty, E. Mossel, R. O'Donnell, R. Servedio.
      Journal of Computer and System Sciences 71(3), pp. 250-265 (2005)
      Conference version: FOCS '03

Extremal properties of polynomial threshold functions (ps, pdf)
R. O'Donnell, R. Servedio.
      Journal of Computer and System Sciences 74(3), pp. 298-312 (2008)
      Conference version: Complexity '03

New degree bounds for polynomial threshold functions (ps, pdf)
R. O'Donnell, R. Servedio.
      STOC '03

Learning juntas AKA Learning functions of k relevant variables (ps, pdf)
E. Mossel, R. O'Donnell, R. Servedio.
      Journal of Computer and System Sciences 69(3), pp. 421-434 (2004)
      Conference version: STOC '03
Note (Aug. '06): Theorem 12 in this paper turns out to be not new.
      T. Siegenthaler proved it in Transactions of Information Theory 30(5) (1984).
      His result can also be used in place of our Theorem 13.
      Thanks to Eric Bach and Lisa Hellerstein for pointing this out.

Learning intersections and thresholds of halfspaces (ps, pdf)
A. Klivans, R. O'Donnell, R. Servedio.
      Journal of Computer and System Sciences 68(4), pp. 808-840 (2004)
      Conference version: FOCS '02

Coin flipping from a cosmic source: On error correction of truly random bits (ps, pdf)
E. Mossel, R. O'Donnell.
      Random Structures & Algorithms 26(4), pp. 418-436 (2005).

On the noise sensitivity of monotone functions (ps, pdf)
E. Mossel, R. O'Donnell.
      Random Structures & Algorithms 23(3), pp. 333-350 (2003).
      Conference version: Trends in Mathematics: Mathematics and Computer Science II,
                                          B. Chauvin et. al. ed., publ. by Birkhäuser, 2002

Hardness amplification within NP (ps, pdf)
R. O'Donnell.
      Journal of Computer and System Sciences, 69(1), pp. 68-94 (2004).
      Conference version: STOC '02 / Complexity '02

Derandomized dimensionality reduction with applications (ps, pdf)
L. Engebretsen, P. Indyk, R. O'Donnell.
      SODA '02

Editor:
     Theory of Computing journal.

Program Committee member:
     ICALP 2008 (Reykjavík)
     STOC 2007 (San Diego)
     Complexity 2005 (San Jose)
     STOC 2005 (Baltimore)

My CV (pdf)

A crossword
D. Liben-Nowell, R. O'Donnell.
      New York Times, August 3, 2005.

Another crossword
D. Liben-Nowell, R. O'Donnell.
      New York Times, March 25, 2004.