Scott Aaronson

Activities

historical

Scott Aaronson (born May 21, 1981) is an American theoretical computer scientist known for his work in quantum computing and computational complexity theory. He earned his BSc in computer science from Cornell University (2000) and his PhD from UC Berkeley (2004) under Umesh Vazirani. After postdoctoral positions at the Institute for Advanced Study and the University of Waterloo, Aaronson joined MIT as faculty in 2007 and moved to the University of Texas at Austin in 2016.

present

As of 2025, Aaronson holds the Schlumberger Centennial Chair of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin and is director of the Quantum Information Center. He took leave to work at OpenAI from 2022–2024 on theoretical foundations of AI safety, then returned to UT Austin. His research continues to focus on foundational questions about quantum computing, complexity theory, and connections between computation and physics.

Connections to other people and companies

Aaronson maintains a wide network across academia and industry. He has collaborated with prominent theorists in quantum information and physics, contributed to the It from Qubit collaboration, and spent time at OpenAI working on AI-safety-related theory. He is active in the broader scientific community through his blog “Shtetl-Optimized” and public writing.

Expectations for the future

Aaronson is likely to continue shaping theoretical research in quantum computing while engaging with questions at the interface of computation and physics. His recent involvement with AI-safety work suggests ongoing contributions to foundational questions about learning systems and their limits.

Interests

Aaronson writes for both academic and general audiences; his interests include quantum algorithms, computational complexity, foundations of physics, philosophy of computation, and public communication of science.

Sources

• UT Austin faculty pages and profiles (CS department, UT Experts)
• Aaronson’s personal website and blog “Shtetl-Optimized”
• Wikipedia
• Various interviews and articles