Theoretical Computer Science: on the Cusp of Interdisciplinarity

Besides studying issues central to how to make computing more efficient and powerful, computer science is also an enabling science that impacts on other scientific fields. In recent years, this latter aspect has gone beyond the obvious, namely large-scale computing is used everywhere, but increasingly computer science concepts and methods are now injecting fresh ideas in many discourses with other scientific disciplines. In particular, theoretical computer science is in the forefront of this significant movement, collaborating with other sciences in creating exciting multi-disciplinary areas. Already some of such works are appearing in main stream journals of several fields. We illustrate this phenomenon with recent work by myself and others in quantum information, algorithmic economics and biological sciences.