Research Seminars @ Illinois

Tailored for undergraduate researchers, this calendar is a curated list of research seminars at the University of Illinois. Explore the diverse world of research and expand your knowledge through engaging sessions designed to inspire and enlighten.

To have your events added or removed from this calendar, please contact OUR at ugresearch@illinois.edu

Distinguished Theory Seminar: Dr. Avi Wigderson, "The Value of Errors in Proofs (a fascinating journey from Turing's 1936 R != RE to the 2020 breakthrough of MIP* = RE."

Apr 20, 2026   3:30 - 4:30 pm  
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Seminar/Symposium
Sponsor
Theory and Algorithms Research Area
Speaker
Dr. Avi Wigderson
Contact
Makrand Sinha
E-Mail
msinha@illinois.edu
Originating Calendar
Siebel School Speakers Calendar

Abstract:    In the year 2020, a group of theoretical computer scientists posted a paper on the Arxiv with the strange-looking title "MIP* = RE", impacting and surprising not only complexity theory but also some areas of math and physics. Specifically, it resolved, in the negative, the "Connes' embedding conjecture" in the area of von-Neumann algebras, and the "Tsirelson problem" in quantum information theory. 

You can find the paper here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.04383 
As it happens, both acronyms MIP* and RE represent proof systems, of a very different nature. To explain them, we'll take a meandering journey through the classical and modern definitions of proof. I hope to explain how the methodology of computational complexity theory, especially modeling and classification (both problems and proofs) by algorithmic efficiency, naturally leads to the generation of new such notions and results (and more acronyms, like NP). A special focus will be on notions of proof which allow interaction, randomness, and errors, and their surprising power and magical properties. 
This talk requires no special background.

Bio:  Avi Wigderson is a leading theoretical computer scientist at the Institute for Advanced Study, known for foundational contributions to computational complexity, pseudorandomness, expanders, and cryptography. His work has been recognized with major honors, including the Turing Award (2023), the Abel Prize (2021), the Knuth Prize(2019), the Gödel Prize (2009), and the Nevanlinna Prize (1994). Beyond his research, he has had a major impact as a mentor, having supervised over 120 postdoctoral researchers, many of whom have become leaders in theoretical computer science.

Best,

Fernando and Makrand

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