Professor Emeritus Ming-Yang Kao Passes Away

Ming-Yang Kao, professor emeritus of computer science at Northwestern Engineering, passed away on May 11, 2026. He will be remembered for his contributions to the field of theoretical computer science and the development and broadening of computer science at Northwestern.

Kao joined the McCormick School of Engineering in the fall of 2001 and retired in 2020. He previously worked as a faculty member at Tufts University, Duke University, and Indiana University Bloomington; and as a visiting associate professor at Yale University, where he earned a PhD in computer science in 1986. Kao earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from National Taiwan University.

A prolific author of academic papers, Kao was an expert in discrete algorithms and combinatorial optimization. His research includes work on DNA self-assembly, variants of the classic traveling salesman optimization problem, and graph labeling problems. His early influential work focused on parallel random-access machine (PRAM) algorithms, parallel graph algorithms, and connectivity. Over time, his work spanned a broad range of applications, including genetics, bioinformatics, electronic commerce, nanotechnology, and computational finance.

“Kao’s interdisciplinary spirit was part of what drew him to Northwestern, and it very much enriched us,” said Larry Birnbaum, a professor of computer science and a fellow PhD graduate of Yale University's computer science department in 1986. “His willingness to take a chance on us made a huge, and hugely positive, difference in our trajectory. It is fair to say that without him, we would not have been able to make the progress we have made over the past 25 years.”

From 2002 to 2005, Kao served as the chair of computer science. He then served as the head of the Division of Computing, Algorithms, and Applications in the combined Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Building the foundation of theoretical computer science at Northwestern, Kao led efforts to identify and recruit talented faculty members, including CS + Economics experts Professor Jason Hartline, Nicole Immorlica (now at Yale University), and Lance Fortnow (former Dean of Computing at Illinois Institute of Technology).

Working as a professor and scholar was deeply meaningful to Kao, who mentored both undergraduate and graduate students for project courses and research collaborations. One of the phrases he used often to encourage students was "Just think about it. Think about it more."

Kao served as editor-in-chief of the journal Algorithmica and as editor of the first and second editions of the Encyclopedia of Algorithms (Springer, 2008 and 2015).

“We are grateful to Ming for his contributions to our community, and for his friendship, as well as for the very critical work he did in helping to build Northwestern Computer Science as a department and a community,” said Samir Khuller, Peter and Adrienne Barris Chair of Computer Science. “I knew his early research in parallel graph algorithms well as we worked on similar topics in the 80’s.”

Kao is survived by his wife, Emma, and their daughters Daphne, Melodie, and Celestine. Kao shared his love of math and algorithms with his daughters and taught them never to be intimidated by STEM. Daphne is a former software engineer who became a health care worker during the pandemic to help care for their father. Melodie is an astrophysicist. And Celestine is a software engineer.