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Mathematical and Algorithmic Sciences

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Bell Labs' Math group continues a long and distinguished history of combining fundamental contributions to the disciplines (mathematics, statistics, computer science, electrical engineering and operations research) with creating multidisciplinary solutions for Alcatel-Lucent’s mobility, optical, access, services and supply chain businesses.
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Mathematical research has a long and distinguished history at Bell Labs. There was a "math research department" at the inception of Bell Labs in 1925. Since then, the organization has contributed many important innovations, including:

  • Sidney Darlington’s work in electrical- network synthesis and invention of the chirp radar
  • Hendrik Bode’s origination of filter theory
  • Claude Shannon’s creation of information theory and key contributions to cryptography and artificial intelligence
  • Richard Hamming and David Slepian’s initiation of the development of error-correcting codes
  • Walter Shewhart’s invention of statistical control charts and pioneering of industrial quality control methods  
  • John Tukey’s co-invention of the fast Fourier transform and initiation of many branches of statistics

The center comprises multiple disciplines, including mathematics, statistics, electrical engineering, operations research and computer science.

Bell Labs researchers in the Mathematics and Algorithmic Sciences research center are engaged in fundamental research, as well as support for Alcatel-Lucent's business units, with particular focus on mathematical analysis, combinatorics and optimization, statistics, Stochastic processes and applied probability, information and communication theory, and mathematics of networking and operations research.  

Sample areas of focus for this research center include:

  • A key thrust of research in the mathematics of networks and systems is on fundamental research in distributed global optimization, stochastic and asymptotic analysis, stability and control of complex systems. Current applications include optical networks, wireless systems and data networks.
  • Another thrust is in scientific computing on analytical and numerical solutions of nonlinear PDEs arising in modeling and control of optical systems, and modeling and simulation of nano materials.
  • Other projects include statistics research, which as a tradition of fundamental research driven by real-world applications has roots as far back as Walter Shewhart and John Tukey. Today, by continuing to focus on data from a host of challenging applications, the center is continually working on new ways to think about, look at, and compute with data.
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