Ilias Diakonikolas Receives the 2024 ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award
May 21, 2025
ACM today announced that Ilias Diakonikolas , a Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, is the recipient of the 2024 ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award. He is cited for making contributions to the field of algorithmic robust statistics by introducing new techniques to robustly estimate high-dimensional distributions along with a surprising variety of algorithmic applications.
The primary focus of Diakonikolas' work is the mathematical foundations of data analysis, machine learning and algorithmic statistics. He is most well-known for his work on robust statistical algorithms for high-dimensional data. “Robust algorithms” are algorithms that perform well even when the data significantly deviates. The new paradigms that Diakonikolas developed changed the way we think about what is possible for efficient algorithms that process high-dimensional data—overcoming problems that have stymied researchers since the 1960s.
In addition to his breakthrough research contributions, Diakonikolas has also played a leading role in establishing a vibrant community around this work. He has organized workshops, given tutorials, and co-authored (with Daniel Kane) Algorithmic High-Dimensional Robust Statistics , a new textbook which has become an essential resource for this emerging field.
