Margo Seltzer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margo Seltzer
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Seltzer in 2012.
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Radcliffe College (BA) University of California, Berkeley (PhD) |
| Spouse(s) | Keith Bostic |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer science |
| Institutions | University of British Columbia |
| Thesis | File System Performance and Transaction Support (1992) |
| Doctoral advisor | Michael Stonebraker |
Margo Ilene Seltzer is a very important American computer scientist. She helps make computer systems work better and faster. She is currently a special professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Before this, she was a professor at Harvard University in the United States.
Contents
Learning and Degrees
Margo Seltzer earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.), in applied mathematics from Radcliffe College in 1983. Applied mathematics is about using math to solve real-world problems. While studying there, she also helped teach classes at Harvard University.
Later, in 1992, she received her Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. A Ph.D. is a very high degree that shows someone is an expert in their field. Her main project for her Ph.D. was about how computers store and find information quickly. She is especially known for her work on "log-structured file systems." These are ways computers organize data so it can be saved and found very fast. She also worked on databases, which are organized collections of information.
Her Career Journey
Working in Universities
Margo Seltzer started teaching at Harvard University in 1992 as an Assistant Professor. She became an Associate Professor in 1997. She later held special teaching positions, like the Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science in 2000, and the Herchel Smith Professor of Computer Science in 2004. These titles recognize her excellent work and contributions.
From 2005 to 2010, Harvard University recognized her great teaching by naming her a Harvard College Professor. She also helped lead the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences as an Associate Dean from 2002 to 2006. She was a mentor for women studying computer science at Harvard.
In September 2018, Professor Seltzer moved to the University of British Columbia in Canada. There, she became a Canada 150 Research Chair in Computer Systems. This is a special role for top researchers. In 2019, she was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Engineering, which is a big honor for engineers.
Working in Business
In 1996, Margo Seltzer helped start a company called Sleepycat Software. This company made a special kind of database called Berkeley DB. A database is like a super organized digital filing cabinet. She was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) there, meaning she was in charge of all the technology.
In 2006, a larger company called Oracle Corporation bought Sleepycat Software. Margo Seltzer continued to work at Oracle for several years, helping with the Berkeley DB team.
Margo Seltzer was also a director for USENIX, an organization for computer professionals, from 2005 to 2014. She even served as its president for two years. In 2019, USENIX gave her a Lifetime Achievement Award for her important work and for helping the computer community.
In 2011, she became a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). This is the highest honor from ACM, given to people who have done amazing things in computing. In 2020, she accepted an award for the Sleepycat Software team for their work on software systems.
Her Family Life
Margo Seltzer is married to another software expert, Keith Bostic.
See also
In Spanish: Margo Seltzer para niños
