Naomi Nishimura

Biography

Dr.Naomi Nishimura is an Associate Professor in the Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo, University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada.

Research Interest

Professor Nishimura's research is in the area of algorithms and complexity, with an emphasis on graph algorithms. Her main research interests involve the identification and use of structure in developing algorithms, such as graph algorithms, fixed-parameter algorithms, and algorithms for reconfiguration problems. Parameterized complexity allows the development of efficient algorithms for various problems which, when considered in full generality, are considered to be intractable. The aim of the parameterized approach is to identify the source of complexity as one or more parameters of the problem, obtaining algorithms that are polynomial in the size of the input but possibly exponential in the parameter(s). In situations in which the parameters are guaranteed to be small in comparison to the size of the input, these techniques yield polynomial-time algorithms. Professor Nishimura's work includes the first parameterized algorithms for graph drawing problems and for backdoor sets for formulas for the satisfiability problem.