Shor’s algorithm, a quantum method for factoring integers significantly faster than existing classical techniques, was developed by Peter Williston Shor during his tenure at Bell Labs. Born in New York City in 1959, he has shaped the intersection of computer science and applied mathematics through his focus on quantum computation, error correction, and algorithmic efficiency.
Academic Foundation
Shor attended Tamalpais High School, where he placed third in the 1977 USA Mathematical Olympiad. That same year, he earned a silver medal at the International Math Olympiad in Yugoslavia. He continued his education at the California Institute of Technology, graduating in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and earning recognition as a Putnam Fellow in 1978. He completed his doctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1985, focusing on the probabilistic analysis of bin-packing algorithms under the supervision of F. Thomson Leighton.
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After a postdoctoral research period at the University of California, Berkeley, Shor joined Bell Labs in New Providence, New Jersey. His research there produced foundational quantum algorithms, including the method for factoring and the discrete log problem. His work in quantum information theory extended to error correction, leading to the development of the stabilizer code, the CSS code, and the quantum threshold theorem. He also contributed to classical algorithmic theory through the creation of the SMAWK algorithm.
Institutional Recognition and Awards
Shor joined the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2003, where he currently serves as a professor of applied mathematics. His contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the 1998 IMU Abacus Medal, the 1998 International Quantum Communication Award, and the 1999 Gödel Prize. He received the King Faisal International Prize in Science in 2002 and the IEEE Eric E. Sumner Award in 2018. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he holds fellowship status with the Association for Computing Machinery and the American Mathematical Society.
Fast facts
- Born: 1959, New York City
- Education: California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Employer: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Notable work: Shor's algorithm
- Key mathematical contribution: CSS code
- Awards: Gödel Prize (1999), King Faisal International Prize in Science (2002)
- Professional Membership: National Academy of Sciences
Questions readers ask
What is Shor's algorithm?
It is a quantum algorithm that performs integer factoring significantly faster than the most efficient algorithms available for classical computers.
Where does Peter Shor teach?
He is a professor of applied mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he has been a faculty member since 2003.
Achievements
- Gödel Prize — 1999
- King Faisal International Prize in Science — 2002
- IMU Abacus Medal — 1998
- Dickson Prize in Science — 1999
- Notable work: Shor's algorithm
- Notable work: CSS code
- Notable work: SMAWK algorithm
- Notable work: stabilizer code
- Held posts at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Fields: computer science
