Richard Rashid | |
|---|---|
 Rashid atPDC 2008 | |
| Born | c. 1951 (age 73–74) |
| Alma mater | Stanford University (BS) University of Rochester (PhD) |
| Known for | Mach kernel |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | VP of Research at Microsoft |
Richard Farris Rashid is anAmericancomputer scientist and the founder ofMicrosoft Research, which he created in 1991.[1] Between 1991 and 2013, as its chief research officer and director, he oversaw the worldwide operations for Microsoft Research which grew to encompass more than 850 researchers and a dozen labs around the world.[1]
Rashid was born inFort Madison, Iowa, and is the son of Farris Rashid and Ramona Wright Rashid.[2] Rashid graduated fromStanford University in 1974 with degrees inmathematics andcomparative literature. He then received aMaster of Science and aPh.D. incomputer science from theUniversity of Rochester, finishing in 1980. While at Rochester, he andGene Ball wrote what is probably one of the earliest networked multiplayer computer games,Alto Trek, forXerox Alto computers.
Before joining Microsoft in 1991, Rashid had been the developer of theMach kernel during his tenure as a professor ofcomputer science atCarnegie Mellon University.[3] The Mach multiprocessor operating systemkernel developed by Rashid has had a lasting influence in the design of modernoperating systems, including the design ofWindows NT,[4] and remains at the core of several operating systems such asNeXTSTEP,GNU Hurd,macOS,iOS,OSF/1, andTru64 UNIX.[3]Rashid's Mach kernel pioneered the concepts ofmicrokernel architecture and its impact can be traced in today's computing landscape with hundreds of millions of people still using Mach based operating systems thirty years after its creation.[3] The Mach project popularized and refined concepts in virtual memory management,hardware abstraction,binary-code compatibility, andprocess management. These concepts advanced the state of operating systems and led to their practical and widespread adoption.[3]
Under Rashid's leadership, Microsoft Research has conducted research across various disciplines that include machine learning; multimedia and graphics, security, search, gaming, networking, artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction. His team has collaborated with the world's most prominent researchers in academia, industry and government to advance the state of computing and to help secure the future of Microsoft's products.[5]
Rashid has authored a number of patents in areas such asdata compression,networking, andoperating systems, and was a major developer ofMicrosoft'sinteractive TV system.
He was promoted to vice president in 1994. In 2000, he became senior vice president ofMicrosoft.[1]
Rashid was elected a member of theNational Academy of Engineering in 2003 for advances in operating systems and leadership in industrial research.
Rashid and his wife Terri Rashid have made several charitable donations, including the Rashid Auditorium atCarnegie Mellon University.[6][7] He has 5 children.[citation needed]
While a faculty member at CMU, he also performed research and published numerous papers and articles on topics such as networking, operating systems,artificial intelligence, andprogramming languages fordistributed computing applications.[8]
The technique that Windows NT uses is called a "microkernel" and was influenced by the Mach microkernel developed at Carnegie Mellon University.
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| MSR Labs applied research |
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