William Wulf
Encyclopedia
William Allan Wulf is a computer scientist
notable for his work in programming language
s and compiler
s.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, he attended the University of Illinois
, receiving a BS in Engineering Physics
and an MS in Electrical Engineering
, then achieved the first Ph.D.
in Computer Science
from the University of Virginia
. While at Carnegie Mellon University
, he designed the BLISS programming language and developed a groundbreaking optimizing compiler for it.
He is University Professor and AT&T Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Virginia
. He served as president of the National Academy of Engineering
from 1996 to 2007. He chaired the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Research Council
from 1992-1996. He serves on the Council of the ACM
, on the board of directors of CRDF Global , and is a reviewing editor of Science
. In 1994 he was inducted as a Fellow of the ACM. William Wulf is married to Anita Jones, also a professor of Computer Science at the University of Virginia
, and they live in Charlottesville, Virginia
.
Wulf's research has also included computer architecture
, computer security
, and hardware-software codesign.
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
notable for his work in programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
s and compiler
Compiler
A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...
s.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, he attended the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, receiving a BS in Engineering Physics
Engineering physics
Engineering physics is the study of the combined disciplines of physics, engineering and mathematics in order to develop an understanding of the interrelationships of these three disciplines. Fundamental physics is combined with problem solving and engineering skills, which then has broad...
and an MS in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, then achieved the first Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. While at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, he designed the BLISS programming language and developed a groundbreaking optimizing compiler for it.
He is University Professor and AT&T Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. He served as president of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
from 1996 to 2007. He chaired the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
from 1992-1996. He serves on the Council of the ACM
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
, on the board of directors of CRDF Global , and is a reviewing editor of Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
. In 1994 he was inducted as a Fellow of the ACM. William Wulf is married to Anita Jones, also a professor of Computer Science at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, and they live in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
.
Wulf's research has also included computer architecture
Computer architecture
In computer science and engineering, computer architecture is the practical art of selecting and interconnecting hardware components to create computers that meet functional, performance and cost goals and the formal modelling of those systems....
, computer security
Computer security
Computer security is a branch of computer technology known as information security as applied to computers and networks. The objective of computer security includes protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to...
, and hardware-software codesign.
Publications
- Wulf, W. A., "Programming Without the GOTO," Proceedings of the Internationale Federation of Information Processing, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, August 1971.
- Wulf, W. A., et al., "Reflections on a Systems Programming Language," Proceedings of the SIGPLAN Symposium on System Implementation Languages, Purdue University, October 1971.
- McCredie, J., Wulf, W. A., "The Selection of a Computing Alternative," Proceedings of the IEEE Computer Conference, IEEE, Boston, September 1971.
- Wulf, W. A., "A Case Against the GOTO," Proceedings of the ACM National Conference, ACM, Boston, August 1972.
- Wulf, W. A., and Shaw, M., "Global VariablesGlobal variableIn computer programming, a global variable is a variable that is accessible in every scope . Interaction mechanisms with global variables are called global environment mechanisms...
Considered Harmful," SIGPLAN Notices 8(2), February 1973. - Wulf, W. A., Shaw, M., Hilfinger, P. N., and Flon, L., Fundamental Structures of Computer Science Addison-Wesley, 1980.
- Wulf, W. A., Johnson, R., Weinstock, C., Hobbs, S., and Geschke, C., The Design of an Optimizing CompilerThe Design of an Optimizing CompilerThe Design of an Optimizing Compiler , by William Wulf, Richard K. Johnson, Charles B. Weinstock, Steven O. Hobbs, and Charles M. Geschke, was published in 1975 by Elsevier. It describes the BLISS compiler for the PDP-11, written at Carnegie Mellon University in the early 1970s...
American Elsevier Publishing Company, Inc., New York, 1975. - Shaw, M. and Wulf, W., "Tyrannical Languages Still Preempt System Design", Proceedings of the International Conference on Computer Languages, April 1992.