VARUN GUPTA                

"Do not follow the norms accepted by others, set your own standards."
Graduate Student
Computer Science Department
Carnegie Mellon University

E-mail: email

Office Address:
    Gates 7217
    Carnegie Mellon University
    Pittsburgh PA 15213
    Ph.: +1 (412) 268-3621
    Fax: +1 (412) 268-5576

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  CV  

Background:
I recently completed doctoral studies at the Computer Science Department, Carnegie Mellon University, and will join the University of Chicago Booth School of Business as Assistant Professor of Operations Management in 2012. During 2011-12, I will be a post-doctoral researcher at Google Research, New York. I completed my undergraduate education from the Computer Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and was awarded the President's Gold Medal.

Research Interests:
My research interests are in Stochastic Modeling and Optimization, Queueing Theory, Applied Probability, Algorithm Design and Analysis, and Mechanism Design. I am particularly interested in developing algorithms for computer networks and distributed systems. Currently, my research focus is in queueing theoretic modeling and analysis of computer systems and scheduling policies. In the past, I have worked on algorithms for Computational Biology and (approximate/exact) string matching.
Thesis: "Stochastic Models and Analysis for Resource Management in Server Farms"
              [pdf] [slides]

Publications:
  1. On Markov-Krein Characterization of the Mean Waiting Time in M/G/K and Other Queueing Systems.
    To appear in Queueing Systems Special Issue on Open Problems (with Takayuki Osogami)
  2. Optimality Analysis of Energy-Performance Trade-off for Server Farm Management.
    Performance 2010 (Performance Evaluation, Vol 67, Issue 11). (with Michael Kozuch, Anshul Gandhi, and Mor Harchol-Balter) [Proceedings preprint] [Technical Report]
  3. Analysis of Scheduling Policies under Correlated Job Sizes.
    Performance 2010 (Performance Evaluation, Vol 67, Issue 11). (with Michelle Burroughs, and Mor Harchol-Balter) [Proceedings preprint] [Extended Version]
  4. Robust and Flexible Power-Proportional Storage.
    SOCC 2010. (with Hrishikesh Amur, Jim Cipar, Michael Kozuch, Greg Ganger, and Karsten Schwan) [pdf]
  5. On the inapproximability of M/G/K: Why two moments of job size distribution are not enough.
    Queueing Systems: Theory and Applications: Volume 64, Issue 1. (with Bert Zwart, Jim Dai, and Mor Harchol-Balter) [pdf of preprint] online version
  6. Distributed Caching Algorithms for Content Distribution Networks.
    INFOCOM 2010. (with Sem Borst and Anwar Walid)
  7. Self-Adaptive Admission Control Policies for Resource-Sharing Systems.
    ACM SIGMETRICS/Performance 2009. (with Mor Harchol-Balter) [pdf] [ps]; Extended version [pdf]
  8. Finding the optimal quantum size: Sensitivity analysis of the M/G/1 round-robin queue.
    MAMA 2008. [pdf] [ps]
  9. Fluid level in a reservoir with On-Off source".
    MAMA 2008. (with Peter Harrison) [pdf] [ ps]
  10. Sampling strategies for epidemic-style information dissemination.
    INFOCOM 2008. (Also in IEEE Transactions on Networking. Vol. 18, No.4. 2010.) (with Milan Vojnovic, Thomas Karagiannis and Christos Gkantsidis) [pdf of extended version] NewScientist article on the paper... and it got Slashdotted!
  11. Analysis of Join-the-Shortest-Queue Routing for Web server Farms.
    Performance 2007 (Performance Evaluation, Vol 64, Issues 9-12). (with Mor Harchol-Balter, Karl Sigman and Ward Whitt) [pdf] [ps]; Supplement with simulation results [pdf] [ps]
  12. Fundamental Characteristics of Queues with Fluctuating Load.
    ACM SIGMETRICS/Performance 2006. (with Mor Harchol-Balter, Alan Scheller-Wolf and Uri Yechiali) [pdf] [ps]; Extended version [pdf] [ps]

Under Submission:
  1. Inducing Optimal Scheduling with Selfish Users.
    Uder Revision for 2nd Review at Management Science. (with Laurens Debo, Paul Enders, Anshul Gandhi, Mor Harchol-Balter and Alan Scheller-Wolf) [pdf]
  2. Stability of the bipartite matching model.
    To Journal Appl. Prob. (with Ana Bušić, and Jean Mairesse) [arxiv]

Talks:
  1. November 17, 2010: Performance 2010. "Analysis of Scheduling Policies under Correlated Job Sizes." [pdf]
  2. November 8, 2010: INFORMS 2010. "Energy-efficient Dynamic Capacity Provisioning in Server Farms." [ppsx] [pdf]
  3. November 9, 2010: INFORMS 2010. "Optimal Routing Policies for Heterogeneous Server Farms." [ppsx] [pdf]
  4. June 18, 2009: ACM SIGMETRICS/Performance 2009. "Self-Adaptive Admission Control Policies for Resource Sharing Systems." [ppt]
  5. June 12, 2009: University of Washington. "Optimizing Resource Sharing Systems." [ppt]
  6. June 2, 2008: MAMA 2008. "Finding the Optimal Quantum Size: Sensitivity Analysis of the M/G/1 Round-Robin Queue." [ppt]
  7. June 2, 2008: MAMA 2008. "Fluid Level in Tandem Queues with an ON/OFF Source." [ppt]
  8. October 4, 2007: Performance 2007. "Analysis of the Join-the-Shortest-Queue Policy for web server farms." [ppt]
  9. June 13, 2007: MAMA 2007. "The Effect of Higher Moments of Job Size Distribution on the Performance of an M/G/k Queueing System." [ppt]
  10. November 7, 2006: INFORMS 2006. "Fundamental Characteristics of Queues with Fluctuating Load." [ppt]
  11. June 29, 2006: ACM SIGMETRICS/Performance 2006. "Fundamental Characteristics of Queues with Fluctuating Load." [ppt]
  12. April 12, 2006: Theory Lunch. "A Gentle Introduction to Fluid and Diffusion Limits for Queues." [ppt]

Project Reports of work done at IIT:
BTech Thesis : Algorithms for Computational Biology: Sequence Analysis
Independent Study in Computer Vision : Trajectory Reconstruction of a Ball Using One Camera (a.k.a., Through the Looking Glass)
Microprocessor Design Lab Project : Telephone with CD

Some Interesting Links:
 Selected Quotes
Top 50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming
Reheating cold topics (in networking)
The best Online Bookstore in India: Flipkart.com
Useful Things to know about Ph.D. Thesis Research
Advice for researchers and students
Another reason to be Vegetarian
Procreating in today's world of dwindling resources? Read this article (and some very intelligent comments too)
Fifty Problem Solving Strategies Explained
Problem Solving: What I ...
howstuffworks.com
The H2G2 Game (Flash Java)
The Twelve Networking truths : RFC 1925

CMU Links:
SQUALL
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The new CSD Free Food Cam
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Misc Links:
buskarma.com (> <)
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Loews Waterfront Theatre
Movies@Pittsburgh