Michael Burrows facts for kids

Michael Burrows, born in 1963, is a British computer scientist. He is famous for creating something called the Burrows–Wheeler transform. This is a special way to compress computer data.

Michael Burrows is a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very important group for scientists. He currently works for Google. Even though he lives in the United States, he is still a British citizen.

Education and Early Life

Michael Burrows started his studies at University College London. There, he learned about Electronic Engineering and Computer Science.

After that, he went to the University of Cambridge to get his PhD. A PhD is a very high degree you can get at a university. He studied in the Computer Laboratory and was guided by a professor named David Wheeler.

Career in Computing

After finishing his studies in Cambridge, Michael Burrows moved to the USA. He began working at a company called Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).

Creating AltaVista

At DEC, he worked with another scientist named Louis Monier. Together, they created AltaVista. This was one of the very first and most important search engines on the internet. A search engine helps you find information online.

Working at Microsoft and Google

Later, a company called Compaq bought DEC. Michael Burrows then worked for Microsoft for a short time. At Microsoft, he helped to stop unwanted emails, known as "spam."

Soon after, he joined Google. At Google, he has continued to work on big computer systems. He has helped design ways for many computers to work together smoothly. For example, he created a service called Chubby. This service helps different parts of Google's huge computer systems talk to each other and stay organized.

Awards and Recognitions

Michael Burrows has received several important awards for his work.

Royal Society Fellow

In 2013, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a great honor for scientists in the United Kingdom.

When he was nominated, they said he was recognized for his amazing work on web search. They mentioned he was one of the main people who designed the early search engine AltaVista. They also noted his important contributions to many other areas of computer science. This includes how computers compress information, how they work together, and how their performance is measured. He also helped design Google's massive computer systems.

Other Awards

In 2003, Michael Burrows received the SIGOPS Mark Weiser Award. This award recognizes people who have made big impacts on computer operating systems.

He also received the IET Achievement Medal in Computer Engineering in 2019. This medal is given for outstanding achievements in engineering and technology.