World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Erik D. Demaine

Erik D. Demaine

Award Badge
Mathematics
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Computer Science

D-Index
85
Citations
25558
World Ranking
811
National Ranking
441

Mathematics

D-Index
79
Citations
20887
World Ranking
165
National Ranking
98

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Mathematics in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Mathematics in United States Leader Award
  • 2016 - ACM Fellow For contributions to geometric computing, data structures, and graph algorithms.
  • 2013 - Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
  • 2006 - Fellow of Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Overview

Erik D. Demaine is affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States and has contributed extensively to research in computer science and engineering. Their work spans multiple subfields of study, including artificial intelligence, computational theory and mathematics, computer graphics and computer-aided design, mechanical engineering, and computer networks and communications.

Their research topics include the following:

  • Computational Geometry and Mesh Generation
  • Artificial Intelligence in Games
  • Optimization and Search Problems
  • Advanced Materials and Mechanics
  • Digital Games and Media
  • Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence
  • Advanced Graph Theory Research

Frequent coauthors who collaborate with Erik D. Demaine include:

  • Jayson Lynch
  • Martin L. Demaine
  • Adam Hesterberg
  • Dylan Hendrickson
  • Hugo A. Akitaya

They have published extensively in the following venues:

  • arXiv (Cornell University)
  • Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (Schloss Dagstuhl)
  • Computational Geometry
  • Journal of Information Processing
  • Theoretical Computer Science

Recent papers authored or coauthored by Erik D. Demaine include:

  • "Unlocking history through automated virtual unfolding of sealed documents imaged by X-ray microtomography," published in 2021 in Nature Communications
  • "Tatamibari Is NP-Complete," published in 2020 in Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (Schloss Dagstuhl)
  • "Area-Optimal Simple Polygonalizations: The CG Challenge 2019," published in 2022 in ACM Journal of Experimental Algorithmics
  • "Approximating the Canadian Traveller Problem with Online Randomization," published in 2021 in Algorithmica
  • "Symmetric assembly puzzles are hard, beyond a few pieces," published in 2020 in Computational Geometry

The scientist has received several awards including:

  • ACM Fellow in 2016 for contributions to geometric computing, data structures, and graph algorithms
  • Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 2013
  • Fellow of Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 2006

Best Publications

  • A method for building self-folding machines

    S. Felton;M. Tolley;E. Demaine;D. Rus

  • Geometric Folding Algorithms: Linkages, Origami, Polyhedra

    Erik D. Demaine;Joseph O'Rourke

  • Programmable matter by folding

    E. Hawkes;B. An;N. M. Benbernou;H. Tanaka

  • Anchor-Free Distributed Localization in Sensor Networks

    Nissanka Bodhi Priyantha;Hari Balakrishnan;Erik D. Demaine;Seth J. Teller

  • Frequency estimation of Internet packet streams with limited space

    Erik D. Demaine;Alejandro Lopez-Ortiz;J. Ian Munro

  • An optimal decomposition algorithm for tree edit distance

    Erik D. Demaine;Shay Mozes;Benjamin Rossman;Oren Weimann

  • Cache-Oblivious B-Trees

    Michael A. Bender;Erik D. Demaine;Martin Farach-Colton

  • Subexponential parameterized algorithms on bounded-genus graphs and H-minor-free graphs

    Erik D. Demaine;Fedor V. Fomin;Mohammadtaghi Hajiaghayi;Dimitrios M. Thilikos

  • Mobile-assisted localization in wireless sensor networks

    N.B. Priyantha;H. Balakrishnan;E.D. Demaine;S. Teller

  • Correlation clustering in general weighted graphs

    Erik D. Demaine;Dotan Emanuel;Amos Fiat;Nicole Immorlica

  • PSPACE-completeness of sliding-block puzzles and other problems through the nondeterministic constraint logic model of computation

    Robert A. Hearn;Erik D. Demaine

  • On the complexity of reconfiguration problems

    Takehiro Ito;Erik D. Demaine;Nicholas J. A. Harvey;Christos H. Papadimitriou

  • Self-folding with shape memory composites†

    Samuel M. Felton;Michael T. Tolley;ByungHyun Shin;Cagdas D. Onal

  • Deploying sensor networks with guaranteed fault tolerance

    Jonathan L. Bredin;Erik D. Demaine;Mohammad Taghi Hajiaghayi;Daniela Rus

  • Representing Trees of Higher Degree

    David Benoit;Erik D. Demaine;J. Ian Munro;Rajeev Raman

  • Jigsaw Puzzles, Edge Matching, and Polyomino Packing: Connections and Complexity

    Erik D. Demaine;Martin L. Demaine

  • Geometric Folding Algorithms: Linkages

    Unknown

  • EpiChord: Parallelizing the Chord lookup algorithm with reactive routing state management

    Ben Leong;Barbara Liskov;Erik D. Demaine

  • The price of anarchy in network creation games

    Erik D. Demaine;Mohammadtaghi Hajiaghayi;Hamid Mahini;Morteza Zadimoghaddam

  • Deploying sensor networks with guaranteed capacity and fault tolerance

    Jonathan L. Bredin;Erik D. Demaine;MohammadTaghi Hajiaghayi;Daniela Rus

  • Games, Puzzles, and Computation

    Erik D. Demaine;Gerald J. Sussman;Robert Aubrey Hearn

Frequent Co-Authors

Joseph O'Rourke
Joseph O'Rourke Smith College
MohammadTaghi Hajiaghayi
MohammadTaghi Hajiaghayi University of Maryland, College Park
Anna Lubiw
Anna Lubiw University of Waterloo
David Eppstein
David Eppstein University of California, Irvine
Sándor P. Fekete
Sándor P. Fekete Technische Universität Braunschweig
Jeff Erickson
Jeff Erickson University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
J. Ian Munro
J. Ian Munro University of Waterloo
Godfried T. Toussaint
Godfried T. Toussaint New York University Abu Dhabi
Michael A. Bender
Michael A. Bender Stony Brook University

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For students studying Mathematics in the USA, exploring related online degrees can broaden career opportunities and enhance skill sets. Many professionals pursue complementary fields such as finance, business, and marketing to apply mathematical expertise in practical settings.

Programs like online masters in finance programs offer a strong foundation in financial modeling and risk analysis, which are highly valuable for quantitative roles. Additionally, pursuing an MBA through fastest mba online programs can accelerate career growth by combining leadership skills with analytical thinking.

For those interested in marketing, an ms in digital marketing degree cost usa is often affordable and offers practical knowledge on data-driven campaigns. Lastly, 12 month mba programs are a time-efficient option for professionals looking to gain business acumen without a lengthy commitment.

By combining mathematical expertise with these diverse online programs, graduates can unlock robust career pathways in finance, marketing, and management.

Best Scientists Citing Erik D. Demaine

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles