TU Wien Informatics

20 Years

Edward A. Lee Awarded TU Wien Honorary Doctorate

  • By Theresa Aichinger-Fankhauser
  • 2022-05-18
  • Award
  • Excellence

TU Wien honors Lee for his outstanding achievements in computer sciences, philosophy of technology, and digital humanism.

Professor Edward Lee and Dean Gerti Kappel.
Professor Edward Lee and Dean Gerti Kappel.
Picture: Joseph Krpelan

On May 17, 2022, Edward A. Lee was awarded an honorary doctorate from TU Wien. The ceremony at Kuppelsaal was opened by Rector Sabine Seidler, who was pleased to bestow this exceptional academic honor on Edward A. Lee.

Gerti Kappel, Dean of TU Wien Informatics, presented the honorary doctorate awarded to Lee for his outstanding achievements in computer science, especially in the areas of cyber-physical systems, embedded systems, and semantics of programming languages. “Lee is one of the most remarkable researchers in his field and continues to forge ahead with his groundbreaking and thought-provoking work in the area of humans and machines,“ Kappel emphasizes Lee’s devotion to the philosophy of technology and digital humanism.

Laudator Schahram Dustdar, Professor and Head of the Research Unit for Distributed Systems at TU Wien Informatics, recounted when he was able to experience Lee’s work firsthand. “Participating in one of Lee’s research seminars during my sabbatical at UC Berkely, I was deeply impressed by how he always asks the right questions, encouraging each student to think and argue. His rigor in thinking, humor and the ease with which he moves from complex theory to reality are exceptional”, Dustdar states.

Edward Lee expressed his gratitude for this academic honor. “Vienna has a long history as one of the world’s intellectual capitals. Right now, former Dean of TU Wien Informatics, Hannes Werthner, and Dean Gerti Kappel are setting the course for a new era of intellectual involvement in the coexistence of humans and machines with the digital humanism initiative. I feel privileged to be a part of this endeavor, which started in TU Wien Informatics and has become a worldwide phenomenon. Its focus is on ensuring that technology benefits humanity, a goal that requires broad multidisciplinary engagement and rigorous critical thinking.”

About Edward Lee

Born in Puerto Rico in 1957, Lee came to the United States at the age of 14, where he first attended the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. He started his studies at Yale University, where he switched back and forth between majors before deciding to double major in computer science and engineering & applied sciences. In 1981 he earned his master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. In 1986, he finished his Ph.D. and started working at the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) department of the University of California, Berkely – where he has been ever since. He is now Robert S. Pepper Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the EECS. In addition to his teaching and research activities, he is the author of several textbooks and two general-audience books: “The Coevolution: The Entwined Futures and Humans and Machines” (2020) and “Plato and the Nerd: The Creative Partnership of Humans and Technology” (2017).

Edward A. Lee has a longstanding affiliation with TU Wien Informatics. He was a member of the International Advisory Board (IAB), is at the forefront of the Digital Humanism Initiative, and currently visits TU Wien Informatics as a guest professor and first senior fellow of the IWM Digital Humanism Fellowship.

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