PrefaceBetween July 29th and December 20th the Isaac Newton Institute (INI) at Cambridge,

UK, hosted a programme on Computation, Combinatorics and Probability. The aim ofthis programme was to explore the two particularly fruitful interfaces between computerscience and mathematics that are offered by combinatorics and probability theory. Withinthis broad agenda, four themes received special emphasis: randomised algorithms, phasetransitions in statistical physics and computer science, random graphs and structures, andprobabilistic analysis of distributed systems. The programme attracted a strong contingentof nearly fifty long-term visitors, and many more came to the institute for shorter periods,especially around three workshops: “Randomised Algorithms,” “Combinatorial and Com-putational Aspects of Statistical Physics/Random Graphs and Structures,” and “Topics inComputer Communication and Networks”. The papers in this volume and the companionone (to appear in the next issue) provide a sampler for work presented during, undertakenwithin, or inspired by the programme. Further outcomes of the programme may be trackeddown in the INI’s preprint series, which may be accessed by visiting http:/www.Newton.cam.ac.uk/preprints.html, and searching for the code “CMP”.

Many people have contributed directly or indirectly to this special issue. The editors ofRS&A provided the initial impetus by actively promoting the idea of a special issue linkedto the INI programme. Their case was a strong one, given the alignment of interestsbetween the journal and the programme. Małgorzata Bednarska’s efforts in the editorialoffice maintained the momentum which was crucial to the success of the project.Numerous referees responded to the call to produce reports within a strict timescale. Asfor the programme itself, staff at the INI kept this running smoothly, and in doing sohelped to maintain a productive environment. Financial support for the programme wasprovided by the UK funding councils EPSRC and PPARC, and by the London Mathe-matical Society, the Leverhulme Trust and the European Union.

Martin Dyer, Mark Jerrum, and Peter WinklerUniversity of Leeds, UK; University of Edinburgh, UK;

and Bell Labs, NJ

Guest Editors

© 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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