Petros Drineas is a computer scientist known for his contributions to the theory of data science and the development of Randomized Numerical Linear Algebra (RandNLA). In a 2012 paper Michael W. Mahoney and Drineas introduced CUR matrix approximation for improved big data analysis. Drineas' work on the application of principal component analysis to population genetics disproved the long-standing hypothesis that the Minoan civilization had North African origins.