Nico Christianson
Incoming Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University (starting Fall 2026)
I am a computer scientist working broadly at the intersection of algorithms, machine learning, and optimization. My research develops new, theoretically-grounded algorithms and AI/ML methods for reliable decision-making under uncertainty. My work spans theory and practice, with recent work in:
- online and learning-augmented algorithms
- uncertainty quantification and risk-aware decision-making
- machine learning for optimization
- applications to robust and sustainable energy systems, datacenters,
and beyond.
Currently, I am a Stanford Energy Postdoctoral Fellow, hosted by Ellen Vitercik and Ram Rajagopal. In Fall 2026, I will join Johns Hopkins as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science. I will also be a member of the Data Science and AI Institute and an associate member of the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute. 📢 I am recruiting PhD students and postdocs to join my group at Johns Hopkins starting Fall 2026. Learn more →
Previously, I received my PhD in Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Caltech, where I had the good fortune of working with Adam Wierman and Steven Low. My PhD was supported in part by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and a PIMCO Data Science Fellowship, and my dissertation won the Ben P.C. Chou Doctoral Prize in Information Science and Technology and the Demetriades-Tsafka-Kokkalis Prize in Renewable Energy. Before Caltech, I studied applied math as an undergrad at Harvard.