All of them need friendship, and I try to provide it. Computer science has offered far more scope for my abilities than pure mathematics would have offered. I would have done better to make room for a broader range of intellectual interests and for regular physical exercise. Through the luck of the genetic draw I have maintained my health despite the lack of exercise. Integrity, openness, a sense of humor, and the courage to attack really significant problems.
Research continues to be tremendous fun.
The opportunity for frequent travel is a great fringe benefit of a research career. Richard M. Karp was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1935 and was educated at the Boston Latin School and Harvard University, where he received the Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics in 1959. From 1959 to 1968 he was a member of the Mathematical Sciences Department at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center. From 1968 to 1994 he was a Professor of Computer Science, Mathematics and Operations Research at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1995 he became a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and an Adjunct Professor of Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Washington.