Peter J. Denning is Professor and Chairman of the Computer Science Department at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Until December 2002, he was Professor of Computer Science and Chair of the Technology Council at George Mason University. Since joining GMU in 1991, he served as vice provost for continuing professional education, associate dean for computing, and chair of the Computer Science Department in the School of Information Technology and Engineering. He founded the Center for the New Engineer in 1993. He pioneered in educational technologies including web-based interactive tutorials (1994), a network linking K12 schools to the Internet (1995), and the Hyperlearning Meter, a system for on-line self-assessment and certification.
Throughout his career, Denning has been noted for leadership in computer science education, where he successfully advocated that operating systems be part of the core curriculum (1972), led a successful movement for recognition of experimental computer science (1980), co-founded the first computing community research network (1981), organized a new framework for the computing core curriculum (1989), proposed reforms to engineering education (1992), sought recognition information technology as a profession (1998), and designed model curricula for IT degree programs (2000). At GMU he was named one of the top 10 teachers for 2001; he received a GMU Teaching Excellence Award in 2002 and was named Outstanding Teacher for 2002 in the IT&E School. In January 2003, the Commonwealth of Virginia honored him as one of the ten best teachers in the state. In January 2003, the Commonwealth of Virginia honored him as one of the ten best teachers in the state.
In the 1960s and 1970s Denning was a pioneer in the early development of operating systems. He invented the working set model for program behavior (1967), established a solid science basis for virtual memory (1970), and designed computer architectures that supported operating systems (1978). He also pioneered in the development of performance models for computer systems and (with Jeff Buzen) co-developed operational analysis of queueing networks (1975-80). He was co-founder of CSNET, the community network that bridged between the old ARPANET and modern Internet.
Denning was the founding director of the Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science (RIACS) at the NASA Ames Research Center (1983-90), head of the computer science department at Purdue (1979-83), and a faculty member at Princeton University (1968-72). He received a PhD from MIT and BEE from Manhattan College in 1968 and 1965, respectively.
Denning has held all the major leadership roles in the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) since 1968. He was founding chair of the SIG Board (1970-74). He was president 1980-82 and vice president 1978-80. As chair of the ACM publications board 1992-98 he led the development of the ACM Digital Library. As Editor-in-Chief of the monthly ACM Communications magazine (1983-92), he led the transition from a research journal to a magazine. He chaired the ACM Information Technology Profession Initiative (1999-2001). He now chairs of the ACM Education Board, which has recently published Curriculum 2001, a major curriculum revision compatible with other IT disciplines.
Denning has published 7 books and 290 articles on computers, networks, and their operating systems. His three most recent books, The Invisible Future (2001), Talking Back to the Machine (1999), and Beyond Calculation (1997) examine the next fifty years of computing. He is working on three more books: Value Dynamics is about about the critical need for quality professionals who provide quality systems by embodying skills for delivering value to clients and users; The Art of Operating Systems is about elegant models for the major components of operating systems; and Great Principles of Information Technology is about the fundamental principles of our field. He holds three professional society fellowships (ACM, IEEE, AAAS), two best-paper awards (ACM, AFIPS), a quality customer service award (GMU), five distinguished service awards,
six education awards,
and three honorary degrees
Denning is now on staff at the Naval Postgraduate School and is a research affiliate with the GMU E-Center for E-Business.