The absolute best people I know at "algorithms" are either CS theoreticians or straight-up mathematicians. They can program, perhaps even better than average coder, but they don't have quite the same whole-system view as a systems person or professional software engineer.
If you're solving problems that require algorithmic ingenuity, you absolutely want these people. And if you can pair them with a good engineer who can integrate their algorithm into a non-trivial system, that's when the magic happens.
If you're solving problems that require algorithmic ingenuity, you absolutely want these people. And if you can pair them with a good engineer who can integrate their algorithm into a non-trivial system, that's when the magic happens.