Peter J. Denning

Peter J. Denning is a leading computer scientist, educator, and author whose work spans operating systems, performance analysis, and the foundations of computing as a discipline. He is a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where he chairs the Computer Science Department and directs the Cebrowski Institute for Information Innovation.

Denning received his Ph.D. in computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Early in his career he made influential contributions to the theory and practice of virtual memory and operating systems, helping establish principles that enabled efficient resource management in time-sharing and multiprogramming environments. His later work broadened to encompass the “science of computing,” examining how core concepts such as information, computation, and communication underpin the field.

Beyond research, Denning has been a central figure in professional leadership and education. He served as president of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the world’s largest computing society, and has chaired numerous ACM boards and committees. He has played a major role in shaping computing curricula and articulating the identity of computing as a profession, receiving multiple awards for lifetime service and contributions to computer science education.

Denning is the author or co-author of several books and hundreds of articles on topics ranging from operating systems to innovation, design, and the practice of computing in organizations. His writing in venues such as Communications of the ACM has influenced how both practitioners and academics think about the evolution of computing and its role in society.

Through his combined work in research, education, professional leadership, and institutional innovation, Peter Denning has helped define not only key technical ideas but also the culture and intellectual framework of modern computer science.