Background
Skiena, Steven Sol was born on January 30, 1961 in New York City. Son of Morris and Ria Skiena.
Skiena, Steven Sol was born on January 30, 1961 in New York City. Son of Morris and Ria Skiena.
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, University Virginia, Charlottesville, 1983. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science, University Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, 1988.
His research interests include algorithm design and its applications to biology. Skiena is the author of several popular books in the fields of algorithms, programming, and mathematics. The Algorithm Design Manual is widely used as an undergraduate text in algorithms and within the tech industry for job interview preparation.
Skiena has worked on algorithmic problems in synthetic biology, and, in particular, issues of optimal gene design for a given protein under various constraints.
In collaboration with virologist Eckard Wimmer, he has worked to computationally design synthetic viruses for use as attenuated vaccines. Their Synthetic Attenuated Virus Engineering (Safeguard for Agricultural Varieties in Europe) approach has been validated in flu and experiments with other viruses are ongoing.
A popular account of this work appears in Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazare"s Natural Computing. Skiena played a role in the conception of the Apple iPad.
Married Renee Michelle Skiena, August 17, 1997. Children: Bonnie, Abby.
