Dilma Da Silva facts for kids

Dilma Menezes Da Silva is a brilliant Brazilian-American computer scientist. She is famous for her important work with systems software and cloud computing. Imagine the software that makes your computer or phone work – that's systems software! Cloud computing is like storing your files and programs online instead of just on your device.

Currently, Dr. Da Silva is a special professor at Texas A&M University. She also leads the Computer Science and Engineering Department there. Since June 2022, she has been a director at the NSF. The NSF helps fund new science and engineering research. In December 2023, she became the acting assistant director for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) at the NSF. This means she helps guide big decisions about computer science research for the whole country!

Dilma Da Silva's Journey in Computer Science

Early Education and Research

Dilma Da Silva started her amazing journey in Brazil. She earned her first two degrees from the University of São Paulo. She got her bachelor's degree in 1986 and her master's degree in 1990. She then traveled to the United States to continue her studies.

In 1997, she earned her doctorate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her professor, Karsten Schwan, guided her research. After finishing her doctorate, she returned to the University of São Paulo. There, she became an assistant professor, teaching and inspiring new students.

Working at Top Tech Companies

In 2000, Dr. Da Silva joined IBM Research in New York. IBM is a very famous technology company. She worked at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center. Her job was to research advanced operating systems. An operating system is the main software that runs your computer.

At IBM, she helped create the file system for an experimental operating system called K42. A file system helps organize all the files on a computer. In 2012, she moved to Qualcomm, another big tech company. At Qualcomm, she focused on cloud computing. This is where data and programs are stored and accessed over the internet.

Returning to Teach and Lead

In 2014, Dr. Da Silva decided to go back to teaching. She became a special professor at Texas A&M University. She also took on a big leadership role there. She became the head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. This means she helps guide the whole department.

Recognitions and Awards

Being a Distinguished Scientist

Dilma Da Silva has received important awards for her work. In 2011, she became a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery. This is a big honor in the world of computer science. It means she is recognized as a top expert in her field.

Special Professorship

In August 2024, she received another special title. She was named a Regents Professor. This is a very high honor for professors at Texas A&M University. It shows how much her university values her contributions.