Andrei Staicu

I am a first-year PhD student at the University of Illinois, where I am advised by Michael A. Forbes. My research interests are in theoretical computer science, specifically algebraic complexity and pseudorandomness. I am interested in exploring the connections between algebraic geometry and computer science. I am supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Previously, I was a research assistant at Duke, advised by Eric Laber. I completed my B.S. at Caltech in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science. I was fortunate to be advised by and work on research projects under the guidance of Leonard J. Schulman and Chris Umans.

Email: astaicu2 [at] illinois [dot] edu
Links: dblp · Google Scholar · GitHub · LinkedIn

Research

Proving Algebraic Independence in Zero-Knowledge
with Michael A. Forbes · ICALP 2026
Identifiability of Product of Experts Models
with Spencer Gordon, Manav Kant, Eric Y Ma, and Leonard J Schulman · AISTATS 2024
PMLR | arXiv
Counting 7-Arcs in Projective Planes over Finite Fields
arXiv

Honors and Awards

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship 2026
Bhansali Family Prize in Computer Science 2024
Apostol Award for Excellence in Teaching in Mathematics 2023
Caltech Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship 2021, 2022, and 2023

A few photos I've taken on film:

Last updated: June 2026