Dean Eric Eastman

World-renowned expert on the electronic properties of materials and spectroscopy, Eastman is an American solid-state physicist and IBM manager. He conducted important research in the field of condensed matter physics, surface science,...

John Russell Patrick

An influential force behind IBM's early adoption of the Internet and World Wide Web, Patrick led the team that created IBM's intranet and the IBM.com website. He was born in Salem, New...

Michael Stern Hart

Inventor of the electronic book (or e-book) and founder of Project Gutenberg, Hart made e-books freely available via the Internet. An American author and inventor, he attended the University of Illinois, graduating...

Rama Chellappa

Pioneer researcher in image processing, computer vision, and pattern recognition, Chellappa has served as a Minta Martin Professor of Engineering (from 2005) and a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and...

Craig W. Reynolds

Creator of the Boids artificial life simulation (1986), Reynolds is an artificial life and computer graphics expert. Reynolds worked on the film Tron (1982) as a scene programmer, and on Batman Returns...

Jef Raskin

Human-computer interface expert best known for starting the Macintosh project for Apple, Raskin first met Apple Computer's Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak following the debut of their Apple II personal computer at...

Erich Bloch

Pioneering developer of the IBM System/360, which helped revolutionize the data processing industry, Bloch is recognized for contributions that earned him the first National Technology Medal from U.S. President Ronald Reagan. On...

William Hugh Murray

Recognized as a founder of the systems audit field and a pioneer of computer security, Murray joined IBM Research as a programmer in 1956, where he worked on such iconic systems as...

Jean Bartik (née Jennings)

One of the original programmers for the ENIAC computer, Bartik was born Betty Jean Jennings in Gentry County, Missouri, in 1924 and attended Northwest Missouri State Teachers College, majoring in mathematics. In...

Enrico Fermi

Inventor of the FERMIAC, an analog computer that used the Monte Carlo Method to study neutron transport through fissionable materials, Fermi was an Italian-born, naturalized American physicist particularly known for his work...

Elisha Gray

Best known for his development of a telephone prototype in 1876, Gray is considered by some writers to be the true inventor of the variable resistance telephone, despite losing out to Alexander...

Malcolm (Doug) Douglas McIlroy

Renowned for seminal work on software componentization and the Unix pipeline implementation, McIlroy is also known for developing several Unix tools, such as spell, diff, sort, join, graph, speak, and tr. Dr. McIlroy...

Gary Kildall

Creator of CP/M, the first disk-based OS for microcomputers, Kildall built a precursor to MS-DOS. CP/M became a fertile ground for the development of application software for microcomputers that became precursors to...

Luke Nosek

Co-founder of PayPal and creator of the company's "instant transfer" product, Nosek is a Polish-born American entrepreneur. He received a B.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign....

Arthur (Dick) Kittredge Watson

President of IBM World Trade Corporation, Watson guided the expansion of the international business and later served as United States Ambassador to France. His father, Thomas J. Watson, was President of International...

Léon Bollée

Inventor of the first calculating machine, Bollée began work in 1887 on three calculating machines: the Direct Multiplier, the Calculating Board, and the Arithmographe. Bollée's Multiplier was the second successful direct-multiplying calculator...

Eugene (Spaf) Howard Spafford

Co-developer of a number of "firsts" in computer security, Spafford is a leading computer security expert and historically significant Internet figure, renowned for first analyzing the Morris Worm and his prominent role...

Donald Becker

Co-creator of the Beowulf clustering software, Becker is known throughout the international community of operating system developers for his contributions to networking software. The Beowulf clustering software connected many inexpensive PCs to...

Richard (Dick) Chao-Fan Chu

A prolific technical innovator in cooling technology, Chu's patents and publications were recognized outside of IBM as industry standards for the cooling of electronic equipment. Born in Beijing, China, he was the son...

Bruce Eckel

Author of "Thinking in Java" and "Thinking in C++", Eckel has written numerous books and articles about computer programming. He has also given frequent lectures and seminars for computer programmers. His best...