Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge
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Former names | Computer Laboratory Mathematical Laboratory |
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Established | 14 May 1937 |
Head of Department | Professor Alastair Beresford |
Academic staff | 35 |
Administrative staff | 25 |
Postgraduates | 155 |
Location | William Gates Building, Cambridge , United Kingdom 52°12′40″N 0°05′31″E / 52.211°N 0.092°E |
Website | www |
The Department of Computer Science and Technology, formerly the Computer Laboratory, is the
History
The department was founded as the Mathematical Laboratory under the leadership of John Lennard-Jones on 14 May 1937, though it did not get properly established until after World War II. The new laboratory was housed in the North Wing of the former Anatomy School, on the New Museums Site. Upon its foundation, it was intended "to provide a computing service for general use, and to be a centre for the development of computational techniques in the University". The Cambridge Diploma in Computer Science was the world's first postgraduate taught course in computing, starting in 1953.
In October 1946, work began under
In 1961,
In 1970, the Mathematical Laboratory was renamed the Computer Laboratory, with separate departments for Teaching and Research and the Computing Service, providing computing services to the university and its colleges. The two did not fully separate until 2001, when the Computer Laboratory moved out to the new William Gates building in West Cambridge, off Madingley Road, leaving behind an independent Computing Service.
In 2002, the Computer Laboratory launched the Cambridge Computer Lab Ring, a graduate society named after the Cambridge Ring network.
Current
On 30 June 2017, the Cambridge University Reporter announced that the Computer Laboratory would change its name to the Department of Computer Science and Technology from 1 October 2017, to reflect the broadened scope of its purpose and activities.[2]
The department currently offers a 3-year undergraduate course and a 1-year masters course (with a large selection of specialised courses in various research areas). Recent research has focused on
Staff
Professors
As of 2016[update], the lab employed 19 professors. Notable ones include:
- Ross J. Anderson,[3] Professor of Security Engineering
- Alan F. Blackwell, Professor of Interdisciplinary Design
- Ann Copestake,[4] Professor of Computational Linguistics
- Jon Crowcroft, Marconi Professor of Communications Systems
- John Daugman, Professor of Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
- Andy Hopper,[5] Professor of Computer Technology
- DeepmindProfessor of machine learning
- Cecilia Mascolo, Professor of Mobile Systems
- Alan Mycroft, Professor of Computing
- Lawrence Paulson, Professor of Computational Logic
- Peter Robinson, Professor of Computer Technology
Other notable staff include Sue Sentance, Robert Watson, Markus Kuhn.
Former staff
Former staff include:
Heads of the Computer Laboratory
The lab has been led by:
- 1949 Maurice Wilkes
- 1980 Roger Needham
- 1996 Robin Milner
- 1999 Ian Leslie
- 2004 Andy Hopper[5]
- 2018 Ann Copestake
- 2023 Alastair Beresford
Achievements and innovations
Members have made impact in computers, Turing machines, microprogramming, subroutines, computer networks, mobile protocols, security, programming languages, kernels, OS, security, virtualisation, location badge systems, etc. Below is a list.
- EDSAC – world's first practical stored program electronic computer (1949–1958)
- Subroutine(1951)
- OXO – world's first video game (1952)
- EDSAC 2 (1958–1965)
- Autocode – one of the first high-level programming languages (1961)
- Titan – early multi-user time-share computer (1964–1973)
- Phoenix – IBM 370 with locally developed OS and hardware extensions (1973–1995)
- TRIPOS operating system – became later the basis for AmigaDOS
- BCPL programming language – ancestor of C
- CAP computer – hardware support for capability-based security
- Cambridge Ring – an early local area network
- Cambridge Distributed Computing System
- Trojan Room coffee pot – the world's first webcam (1993)
- biometric identificationwith vanishingly small false-accept rate
- Nemesis– real-time microkernel OS
- Active Badge System –[12]
- Active Bat – ultrasonic indoor positioning system
- Xen– virtual machine monitor (2003–present)
- Isabelle and HOL – interactive theorem provers
- kernal that forms the basis of many modern CAD software.
Impact on business enterprise
A number of companies have been founded by staff and graduates. Their names were featured in the new entrance in 2012.
Notable alumni (industries)
References
- ^ "'People - Department of Computer Science'". University of Cambridge. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022.
- ^ "Notices by the General Board – Cambridge University Reporter 6473: Renaming of the Computer Laboratory". University of Cambridge. p. 753. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- ^ "ANDERSON, Prof. Ross John". Who's Who. Vol. 2014 (online edition via Oxford University Press ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Ann Copestake publications indexed by Google Scholar
- ^ a b "HOPPER, Prof. Andrew". Who's Who. Vol. 2015 (online Oxford University Press ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- .
- S2CID 58340004.
- ^ Martin Richards at DBLP Bibliography Server
- S2CID 219302075.
- .
- .
- ^ url="http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/research/dtg/attarchive/ab.html Archived 27 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine"
- ^ Quested, Tony (24 February 2012). "Cambridge technology cluster thriving thanks to university dynamism". Business Weekly. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- ^ Vargas, Lautaro (5 March 2012). "Cambridge University plans £30m VC fund and opens door to non-uni investment". Cabume. Cambridge. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ^ Quested, Tony (27 March 2012). "Gates no barrier to Bango enterprise". Business Weekly. Retrieved 28 March 2012.