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.”