VARUN GUPTA                


"Do not follow the norms accepted by others, set your own standards."
Now

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

  Full Contact Information

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  CV:   [pdf]   [ps]
Then

Background:
I am a fifth year doctoral student at the Computer Science Department, Carnegie Mellon University. I completed my undergraduate education from the Computer Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and was awarded the prestigious President's Gold Medal. My thesis advisor is Mor Harchol-Balter.

Research Interests:
My research interests are in all aspects of Algorithm Design and Analysis. 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.

Publications:
  1. "On the inapproximability of M/G/K: Why two moments of job size distribution are not enough". To appear in Queueing Systems: Theory and Applications. (with Bert Zwart, Jim Dai, and Mor Harchol-Balter) [pdf of preprint] online version
  2. "Distributed Caching Algorithms for Content Distribution Networks". To appear in INFOCOM 2010. (with Sem Borst and Anwar Walid)
  3. "Self-Adaptive Admission Control Policies for Resource-Sharing Systems". Proceedings of ACM SIGMETRICS/Performance 2009. (with Mor Harchol-Balter) [pdf] [ps]; Extended version [pdf]
  4. "Inducing Optimal Scheduling with Selfish Users". CMU GSIA Working Paper #2008-E23. (with Laurens Debo, Paul Enders, Anshul Gandhi, Mor Harchol-Balter and Alan Scheller-Wolf) [pdf]
  5. "Finding the optimal quantum size: Sensitivity analysis of the M/G/1 round-robin queue". MAMA 2008. [pdf] [ps]
  6. "Fluid level in a reservoir with On-Off source". MAMA 2008. (with Peter Harrison) [pdf] [ ps]
  7. "Sampling strategies for epidemic-style information dissemination". INFOCOM 2008. (with Milan Vojnovic, Thomas Karagiannis and Christos Gkantsidis) [pdf of extended version] NewScientist article on the paper... and it got Slashdotted!
  8. "Analysis of Join-the-Shortest-Queue Routing for Web server Farms". Performance 2007. (with Mor Harchol-Balter, Karl Sigman and Ward Whitt) [pdf] [ps]; Supplement with simulation results [pdf] [ps]
  9. "Fundamental Characteristics of Queues with Fluctuating Load". Proceedings of ACM SIGMETRICS/Performance 2006. (with Mor Harchol-Balter, Alan Scheller-Wolf and Uri Yechiali) [pdf] [ps]; Extended version [pdf] [ps]

Talks:
  1. June 18, 2009: ACM SIGMETRICS/Performance 2009. "Self-Adaptive Admission Control Policies for Resource Sharing Systems." [ppt]
  2. June 12, 2009: University of Washington. "Optimizing Resource Sharing Systems." [ppt]
  3. June 2, 2008: MAMA 2008. "Finding the Optimal Quantum Size: Sensitivity Analysis of the M/G/1 Round-Robin Queue." [ppt]
  4. June 2, 2008: MAMA 2008. "Fluid Level in Tandem Queues with an ON/OFF Source." [ppt]
  5. October 4, 2007: Performance 2007. "Analysis of the Join-the-Shortest-Queue Policy for web server farms." [ppt]
  6. 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]
  7. November 7, 2006: INFORMS 2006. "Fundamental Characteristics of Queues with Fluctuating Load." [ppt]
  8. June 29, 2006: ACM SIGMETRICS/Performance 2006. "Fundamental Characteristics of Queues with Fluctuating Load." [ppt]
  9. April 12, 2006: Theory Lunch. "A Gentle Introduction to Fluid and Diffusion Limits for Queues." [ppt]
Graduate Courses Taken

Schedule for Fall 2008 (Mini 1):



Past Schedules: [Summer 08]   [Spring 08]   [Fall 07]   [Spring 07]   [Fall 06]   [Summer 06]   [Spring 06]   [Fall 05]   [Summer 05]   [Spring 05]   [Fall 04]

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
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)
Pen-Spinning Revolution : www.pentrix.com
The Twelve Networking truths : RFC 1925
Weapons of Mass Destruction Page

CMU Links:
SQUALL
Theory@CMU
Library@CMU
The new CSD Free Food Cam
Movies@CMU
Library Cam (defunct)
Graduate Support Programs

Misc Links:
buskarma.com (> <)
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Loews Waterfront Theatre
Movies@Pittsburgh
Router@Home