In the last few years, some of the most interesting questions in the theory of algorithms have come up in designing mechanisms for selfish users especially in the context of the Internet. The Internet itself is comprised of several autonomous entities with varying sizes and interests. It has also given birth to several online market places and electronic commerce applications in which several businesses sell, buy and trade in real time.
This research involves designing algorithms or protocols that can be implemented in these multi-agent settings. In particular, the PI will focus on computing central solution concepts developed in game theory such as market equilibria, Nash equilibria, and the core of cooperative games. The PI will also apply these algorithms in designing online market places. In particular, the PI will study adwords and other similar auctions used by search engines for selling advertisement.
