ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am fortunate to have the support of some truly wonderful people. First and foremost, I would like to thank my advisor Dr.Timothy Davis who has been an excellent mentor. I will be indebted to him forever for the trust he placed in me even before I started graduate studies and while doing this study. He has not only taught me technical nuances, but also helped me appreciate the beauty in everything from perfect software to poetry. I am grateful for his valuable advice, patience and for making me a better person. I would like to acknowledge Dr.Gene Golub who was in my PhD committee for his kind and encouraging words. He gave the motivation to solve the sparse singular value decomposition problem. I would also like to thank Dr.Alin Dobra, Dr.William Hager, Dr.Jorg Peters, and Dr.Meera Sitharam for serving in my PhD committee. On the personal side, I would like to thank my wife Sridevi whose sacrifices and constant support made this whole effort possible. She has always been with me whenever I needed her. I could have never completed this study without her beside me. My son Akilan and daughter Sowmya deserve a special mention for the time spent with them rejuvenated me while working on this dissertation