Computer Laboratory: University of Cambridge

In the twentieth century Cambridge was the location of fundamental advances in computer science and today over 300 companies and commercial laboratories specialising in computing and advanced technologies are concentrated in the area.

The Computer Laboratory is an academic department within the University of Cambridge which encompasses Computer Science, along with many aspects of Engineering, Technology and Mathematics.

The Computer Laboratory was founded in 1937, as the Mathematical Laboratory, for work on mechanical calculators and analogue computers. It became involved in digital computing after 1945. Some of the fundamental advances in computing knowledge, such as the ideas of subroutines and micro-computing, were made in the Laboratory during that period, as well as original pioneering work in building complete computers (the EDSAC was commissioned in 1949 and the EDSAC2 in 1958), and the early development of programming languages and operating systems.

Key research areas

• Wireless Engineering (Dr I Wassell)
• Architectures (Dr DJ Greaves, Prof A Hopper, Dr SW Moore)
• Widely Distributed Systems (Prof JM Bacon, Dr RJ Gibbens, Dr T Griffin, Dr JKM Moody)
• Networks and Operating Systems (Prof JA Crowcroft, Dr K Fraser, Dr SM Hand, Prof IM Leslie, Dr AW Moore, Dr IA Pratt)
• Graphics and HCI (Dr AF Blackwell, Dr NA Dodgson, Prof P Robinson)
• Security (Prof RJ Anderson, Dr M Kuhn, Dr F Stajano)
• Natural Language and Information (Prof EJ Briscoe, Dr AA Copestake, Dr SH Teufel)
• AI and Bioinformatics (Dr J Daugman, Dr SB Holden, Dr M Jamnik, Dr P Lio)
• Programming (Prof A Mycroft, Dr M Richards)
• Automated Reasoning (Prof MJC Gordon, Prof LC Paulson)
• Theory and Semantics (Dr A Dawar, Dr M Fiore, Prof AM Pitts, Dr PE Sewell, Prof G Winskel)

It should be noted that many people have multiple interests and the themes and names listed should be used as a guide only.

Further information:

• www.cl.cam.ac.uk
• Laboratory brochures are available from Ms LM Gough