Jeannette Wing

Executive Vice President for Research; Professor of Computer Science

Jeannette M. Wing is a leader in computer science, known for her research contributions in cybersecurity and privacy, formal methods, distributed and concurrent systems, and programming languages.

Wing’s seminal essay, titled “Computational Thinking,” was published more than a decade ago and is credited with helping establish the centrality of computer science to problem-solving in all disciplines, which has influenced college and K-12 curricula worldwide.

As Avanessians Director of the Data Science Institute, she advances a platform of “data for good,” the notion that data science can yield insights that profoundly benefit society when applied ethically and responsibly. 

Prior to joining Columbia in 2017, she was corporate vice president of Microsoft Research, where she oversaw research labs around the world, and was formerly the President’s Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, where she twice headed the Computer Science Department. At the National Science Foundation, she served as Assistant Director of the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate to promote research and education in academia. For her distinguished service, she has received awards from the Computing Research Association and Association for Computing Machinery.

Wing received her SB, SM, and PhD degrees in computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association of Computing Machinery, and IEEE.

Research Areas


  • Security and Privacy
  • Software Systems
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Data Privacy
  • Programming Languages
  • Trustworthy Computing
  • Cybersecurity
  • Trustworthy AI

Additional information


  • Professional Experience
    • Microsoft Research, Corporate Vice President
    • Carnegie Mellon University, President’s Professor of Computer Science
    • Carnegie Mellon University, Head of Computer Science Department
    • National Science Foundation, Assistant Director of Computer and Information Science and Engineering
  • Professional Experience
    • Council Member and Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
    • Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
    • Fellow, Association of Computing Machinery
    • Fellow, IEEE
  • Honors & Awards
    • Honorary Doctor of Technology, Linkoping University, Linkoping, Sweden, 2020
    • Hero of Computer Science, Computer Science Department, University of York, 2020
    • Columbia College of Dental Medicine Birnberg Research Award, 2018.
    • Microsoft Executive Briefing Center Hero Award, 2017.
    • Association for Computing Machinery Distinguished Service Award, 2014.
    • SIGSOFT Retrospective Paper Award, 2012.
    • Computing Research Association Distinguished Service Award, 2011.
    • Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Xi.