The Simons Foundation recently appointed Maria Florina “Nina” Balcan, the Cadence Design Systems professor in computer science, a Simons Investigator in theoretical computer science.

The Simons Investigators program supports theoretical scientists as they establish creative new research directions, leading their fields and providing mentoring to junior researchers. Investigators are appointed for an initial period of five years with an opportunity for an additional five years of support. Investigators receive $100,000 a year.

Balcan, a professor in the School of Computer Science's Machine Learning and Computer Science Departments, focuses on learning theories, artificial intelligence, algorithmic economics, game theory and optimization. She earned her Ph.D. at CMU in 2008 and returned six years later to join the faculty. 

Past Simons Investigators from CMU include CSD faculty Venkat Guruswami and David Woodruff, both for theoretical computer science in 2020; and physics professor Rachel Mandelbaum for astrophysics in 2019.