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| Odlyzko, Andrew | |
|---|---|
| Name | Odlyzko, Andrew |
| Birth date | 1949 |
| Birth place | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Fields | Mathematics, Computer Science |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Doctoral advisor | Harold Stark |
| Known for | Analytic number theory, computational number theory, Internet economics |
Odlyzko, Andrew Andrew Odlyzko (born 1949) is an American mathematician and researcher known for contributions to analytic number theory, computational number theory, and studies of the Internet and communication networks. He has worked at institutions including Bell Laboratories, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, and the University of Minnesota, and has collaborated with figures from Number Theory to computer science and economics.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Odlyzko attended the University of Minnesota for undergraduate studies and earned a doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the supervision of Harold Stark. During his formative years he was influenced by researchers at Bell Laboratories, interactions with scholars connected to the Institute for Advanced Study, and the milieu of analytic number theory shaped by names such as G. H. Hardy, John Littlewood, and Atle Selberg.
Odlyzko held research and faculty positions at Bell Laboratories, the AT&T Research network of labs, and returned to academia with appointments at the University of Minnesota and visiting roles at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Harvard University, and the Princeton University mathematics community. He has been affiliated with organizations including the American Mathematical Society, the Association for Computing Machinery, and the National Academy of Sciences circles, collaborating with researchers from Paul Erdős’s network to colleagues linked to Richard M. Karp, Donald Knuth, and Ronald Rivest.
Odlyzko made influential advances in analytic number theory including computational verification work related to the Riemann zeta function, zero distributions, and explicit estimates tied to results of Bernhard Riemann, Atle Selberg, and G. H. Hardy. His numerical explorations of zeros of the Riemann zeta function connected to conjectures by Hugh Montgomery and correlations with eigenvalues studied in random matrix theory by Freeman Dyson and Michael Berry. In computational number theory he produced large-scale factorization and tabulation efforts in the tradition of Carl Friedrich Gauss’s computational heritage, leveraging algorithms related to work by John Pollard, Édouard Lucas, and Karl Friedrich Gauss’s successors.
Odlyzko also led influential analyses of digital infrastructure, focusing on Internet traffic, pricing, and economics, engaging debates with scholars from Hal Varian, Paul Krugman, and Nicholas Economides. His studies of file sharing dynamics, bandwidth growth, and network externalities informed policy discussions involving Federal Communications Commission-adjacent research and dialogues with Vinton Cerf, Tim Berners-Lee, and Lawrence Lessig. He critiqued prevailing models of telecommunications regulation and market structure, referencing empirical datasets and interacting with institutions such as RAND Corporation analysts, Brookings Institution fellows, and researchers influenced by John von Neumann’s legacy.
Odlyzko contributed algorithmic insights influencing computational complexity and cryptography, engaging with ideas from Claude Shannon, Whitfield Diffie, Martin Hellman, and the RSA (cryptosystem) literature, while his collaborative network included researchers linked to Andrew Wiles-era number theory and to practitioners in data science at institutions like IBM Research and Microsoft Research.
Odlyzko authored and coauthored numerous articles in journals connected to the American Mathematical Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and leading publications in computer science such as proceedings of the ACM and IEEE conferences. His publications addressed topics ranging from explicit estimates for arithmetic functions to analyses of Internet growth, appearing alongside contributors from Harvard, Stanford University, Princeton University, and Caltech. He contributed chapters in volumes alongside editors associated with the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and compilations edited by figures from the London School of Economics.
Odlyzko’s recognitions include citations and invited lectures from organizations such as the American Mathematical Society, invitations to speak at assemblies connected to the International Congress of Mathematicians, and acknowledgments from industrial research communities at Bell Laboratories. He received professional honors placing him in the company of recipients associated with the Fields Medal discourse, Turing Award-adjacent speakers, and fellows of associations like the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics.
Odlyzko’s legacy spans rigorous computational verifications in number theory and influential critiques and empirical studies of the Internet reshaping conversations among policymakers, technologists, and economists such as Tim Wu, Susan Crawford, and Cory Doctorow. His mentorship connected him to students and collaborators who continued work in arenas linked to cryptography, random matrix theory, and network economics, influencing departments at University of Minnesota, research labs at Bell Laboratories, and cross-disciplinary initiatives at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute.
Category:American mathematicians Category:Number theorists Category:1949 births