Computing+ Mathematical Science

Welcome_

The Computing + Mathematical Sciences (CMS) Department is nestled in the heart of Pasadena on the beautiful Caltech campus. CMS is home to outstanding students and researchers who share a passion for science and engineering, as well as a drive to investigate the most challenging, fundamental problems in computation and information. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3:1, we promote innovative interdisciplinary collaborations throughout campus and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Research in Our Department_

Advances in computation and information technology have already transformed our lives, giving rise to innovations from smartphones, to search engines, to the sequencing of the human genome. In Computing + Mathematical Sciences (CMS) at Caltech, we believe that the greatest transformations lie ahead. We regard computation and information as intrinsic components of diverse fields such as biology, physics, and economics, and not just the basis for advanced technology. Studying the structures that communicate, store, and process information from this viewpoint---whether these structures are expressed in hardware and called machines, in software and called programs, in abstract notation and called mathematics, or in nature and society and called biological or social networks and markets---will propel the Digital Revolution in new and exciting directions in the years to come.

CMS research cuts across the traditional discipline boundaries of Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Communication + Networks, and Control + Dynamical Systems to best leverage this expansive view of information and computation in natural and engineered systems. We develop algorithmic foundations, computational methods, and computing devices to meet today's and tomorrow's challenges of complexity, scalability, and sustainability, with wide-ranging impacts on everything from the design of biological systems to the understanding of economic markets and social networks. Our research is distinguished by an appreciation for mathematical depth, scientific—rather than heuristic—approaches and the integration of theory and implementation.