David Elieser Deutsch

David Deutsch laid the foundations of the quantum theory of computation, and subsequently made or participated in many of the most important advances in the field, including the discovery of the first...

Jefferson (Jeff) Y. Han

Co-developer of "multi-touch sensing," Han is a research scientist at NYU's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences who helped create touch-screen interfaces able to recognize multiple points of contact. He also worked on...

Oleg Vishnepolsky

Author of IBM's S2 Spreadsheet and of TCP/IP stacks for OS/2 and IBM POS terminals, Vishnepolsky is one of the early Internet technologists, with a 20-plus year track record of technological advancements,...

Claudio Ciborra

Known for his innovative thinking about information systems and his recognition of the relevance of transaction cost theory, Ciborra inspired researchers and thinkers around the world. He recognized the importance of tinkering,...

Adriaan van Wijngaarden

One of the founding fathers of informatica (computer science) and designer of ALGOL, van Wijngaarden was a pioneering figure in the history of computing. Adriaan's education was in mechanical engineering, for which...

Stanisław Marcin Ulam

Originator of the concept of the technological singularity, Ulam was also a renowned mathematician of Polish-Jewish origin who participated in America's Manhattan Project, originated the Teller–Ulam design of thermonuclear weapons, suggested the...

Hugh McGregor Ross

One of the principal architects of the Universal Character Set ISO/IEC 10646, Ross was an early pioneer in the history of British computing. Born in Nairobi, Kenya, he worked for Ferranti from...

Laurence (Larry) Spitters

Co-founder of Memorex, the first company to manufacture chromium dioxide cassettes in substantial volume, Spitters is an American industrialist in the field of magnetic recording media. He received a B.A. from Western...

William Harvey Inmon

Recognized by many as the father of the data warehouse, Inmon wrote the first book, held the first conference (with Arnie Barnett), wrote the first column in a magazine, and was the...

Carl Sassenrath

Creator of the Amiga Computer operating system kernel, which brought multitasking to personal computers, Sassenrath is also the designer of the REBOL computer language. Born in Eureka, California, he has served as...

Kanianthra Mani Chandy

Co-proposer of a new solution to the Dining Philosophers problem, Chandy is recognized for his contributions to concurrent algorithm design and distributed computing. Along with J. Misra, he proposed the solution in...

Donald Michael Ludlow

Principal designer and developer of the Input-Output Supervisor (IOS) component of OS/360, Ludlow made significant contributions to IBM's landmark operating system. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Ludlow grew up in Melvindale. He earned a...

Diane P. Pozefsky

Leader of the IBM team that developed APPN and AnyNet architectures, which broke the barriers between TCP/IP and SNA networking technologies, Pozefsky was named an IBM Fellow in 1994 in recognition of...

Abdal Mammad ibn M Khwrizm

Considered the founder of algebra, Khwrizm shared this credit with Diophantus. His Kitab al-Jabr wa-l-Muqabala presented the first systematic solution of linear and quadratic equations. In the twelfth century, Latin translations of...

Stanley Mazor

Co-designer of the world's first microprocessor, the Intel 4004, Mazor also co-patented "Symbol," a high-level language computer. Born in Chicago, Illinois, as a youth his family moved to California, where he attended...

Harry Sello

Responsible for the transfer of silicon transistor technology to Societa Generale Semiconduttore in Italy, negotiating cultural and industrial boundaries, Sello is an American chemist born in Russia whose family emigrated to the...

Jeffrey (Jeff) Hawkins

Founder of Palm Computing and Handspring, Hawkins invented the Palm Pilot and the Treo. He subsequently turned to neuroscience full-time, founding the Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience (formerly the Redwood Neuroscience Institute)...

Edwin Earl Catmull

A pioneer of computer graphics and former President of both Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios, Catmull has contributed to many important developments in computer graphics. He was born in...

Patty Stonesifer

Founding CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Stonesifer built her career on executive leadership spanning technology, philanthropy, and public service. She began in various executive roles at Microsoft before taking...

James Goodnight

CEO of SAS Institute, Goodnight co-founded the company and has remained active in developing its products. SAS Institute puts a quarter of its profits into research & development and develops business intelligence...