Research challenges in uncertain times

Doing Science in Uncertain Times

A scientist living in Russia is often asked two questions: “Why haven’t you left?” and “Is it still possible to work there?” The best response to the fi rst question is, “Why should I?”—which either terminates the conversation or leads to a stimulating discussion about the fate of the world. The second question, however, deserves a serious answer. In fact, this is the question that every one of...

Finding Hope in Uncertain Times

I was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in 2012. I knew my time was limited, and that I faced an uncertain future. But almost 5 years later, I find myself in a place I never expected to be—against 50:1 odds and tumors in my spine, lymphatic system, brain, and lungs—I’m alive. To my surprise, I also remain hopeful. Not a hope that everything will be fine. Not a hope that my cancer will be cure...

Uncertain Observation Times

Standard temporal models assume that observation times are correct, whereas in many real-world settings (particularly those involving human data entry) noisy time stamps are quite common. Serious problems arise when these time stamps are taken literally. This paper introduces a modeling framework for handling uncertainty in observation times and describes inference algorithms that, under certai...

Trusted Browsers for Uncertain Times

JavaScript in one origin can use timing channels in browsers to learn sensitive information about a user’s interaction with other origins, violating the browser’s compartmentalization guarantees. Browser vendors have attempted to close timing channels by trying to rewrite sensitive code to run in constant time and by reducing the resolution of reference clocks. We argue that these ad-hoc effort...

Facing the future in uncertain times.