What is Theoretical Computer Science?

Theoretical computer science develops and applies mathematical methods for the systematic modelling, analysis, and solution of computational tasks. Significant application areas of these methods include e.g. the development of programming languages and their compilers, design methods for software systems, parallel computer architectures, cryptography, routing algorithms and protocols for computer networks, and VLSI design. -- Broadly speaking, it is the goal of theoretical computer science to develop efficient mathematical tools for the design and analysis of computational systems, in any application area, that really work as intended.

Because of the great variety of present-day computational environments (sequential, parallel,distributed,...) and the large number of potentially relevant system characteristics (correctness, efficiency, security, fault-tolerance, adaptability,...), the scope of theoretical computer science is currently far too wide to be covered completely by any single individual, or even a single university laboratory. Accordingly, the work at the TCS laboratory of the Helsinki University of Technology is structured in four broad research areas:

1. Computational Logic (Prof. Ilkka Niemelä)
2. Computational Complexity and Combinatorics (Prof. Pekka Orponen)
3. Cryptology (Prof. Kaisa Nyberg)
4. Verification (Doc. Keijo Heljanko)