View source for David J. Farber

{{short description|American computer scientist currently in Japan}}
{{for|the historian|David Farber (historian)}}
{{distinguish|David Faber (disambiguation){{!}}David Faber}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = David J. Farber
| image = Dave Farber, May 2008.JPG
| image_size = 
| caption = Farber in 2008
| birth_date = {{birth date and age |1934|4|17}}
| birth_place = 
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| nationality = [[United States|American]]
| ethnicity = 
| fields = [[Computer science]]
| workplaces = {{unbulleted list |[[Bell Labs]] |[[RAND Corporation]] |[[Scientific Data Systems]] |[[University of California, Irvine]] |[[University of Delaware]] |[[Heinz College]] |[[Carnegie Mellon University]] |[[University of Pennsylvania]]|[[Keio University]]}}
| alma_mater = [[Stevens Institute of Technology]]
| doctoral_advisor = 
| academic_advisor = 
| doctoral_students = [[Jon Postel]], [[Dave Sincoskie]], [[Marshall Rose]], [[Paul Mockapetris]]
| notable_students = 
| known_for = 
| awards = 
}}

{{improve sources|date=March 2025}}

'''David J. Farber''' (born April 17, 1934) is a professor of [[computer science]], noted for his major contributions to [[programming language]]s and [[computer networking]] who is currently{{as of?|date=August 2023}} the distinguished professor and co-director of Cyber Civilization Research Center<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ccrc.keio.ac.jp/|title=Cyber Civilization Research Center}}</ref> at [[Keio University]] in Japan. He has been called the "grandfather of the Internet".<ref>
{{cite web|url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/dave-farber-internets-grandfather-seeks-to-cut-through-fog-of-cyberwar/
|accessdate=2021-09-28
|title=Dave Farber, Internet's "Grandfather," Seeks to Cut Through Fog of Cyberwar - Scientific American Blog Network
|date=2021-09-28
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edge.org/memberbio/david_farber
|accessdate=2021-09-28
|title=David Farber 
|date=2021-09-28
}}</ref>

==Career==
Farber graduated from the [[Stevens Institute of Technology]] with a M.E. degree in electrical engineering in 1956 and a second M.S. degree in mathematics in 1961.<ref name="Stevens14">{{cite web|url=https://www.stevens.edu/directory/development-and-alumni-engagement/awards/stevens-awards-gala/previous-galas/second-stevens-awards-gala/david-j-farber|title=2014 Awards Gala - David J. Farber|date=December 19, 2016 |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref>  He then began an 11-year career at [[Bell Laboratories]], where he helped design the first electronic switching system ([[ESS-1]]) and the [[SNOBOL]] programming languages. He subsequently held industry positions at the [[Rand Corporation]] and [[Scientific Data Systems]], followed by academic positions at the [[University of California, Irvine]], the [[University of Delaware]], and [[Carnegie Mellon University]].  He was awarded an honorary doctorate in engineering from the Stevens Institute in 1999.<ref name="Stevens14" />

At Irvine his research work was focused on creating the world's first operational distributed computer system. While a member of the electrical engineering department of the [[University of Delaware]], he helped conceive and organize the major American research networks [[CSNET]], [[NSFNet]], and the [[National Research and Education Network]] (NREN). He helped create the NSF/DARPA-funded Gigabit Network Test bed Initiative and served as the Chairman of the Gigabit Test bed Coordinating Committee.

Farber subsequently was appointed Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Systems at the [[University of Pennsylvania]], where he also held appointments as professor of business and public policy at the [[Wharton School of Business]], and as a faculty associate of the [[Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania|Annenberg School for Communication]]. Farber served as chief technologist at the US [[Federal Communications Commission]] (2000–2001) while on leave from the university.

Farber is a founding editor of ICANNWatch.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us |work=ICANNWatch |url=http://www.icannwatch.org/about_us.shtml |access-date=March 2, 2014 |archive-date=March 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308003013/http://www.icannwatch.org/about_us.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> He serves on the board of advisers of Context Relevant<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.contextrelevant.com/company/customer-advisory-board/ |title=Customer Advisory Board |work=Context Relevant |access-date=July 29, 2014 |archive-date=August 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812194719/http://www.contextrelevant.com/company/customer-advisory-board/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and The Liquid Information Company.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.liquid.info/company.html |title=About Us: Advisory Board |work=Liquid.info |publisher=Liquid Information Company] |access-date=July 29, 2012}}</ref> He is one of the founding board members of the [[Internet Systems Consortium]], and has served on that board since 1994. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Consortium |first=Internet Systems |title=The ISC Team |url=https://www.isc.org/team/ |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=www.isc.org |language=en-us}}</ref>

==Honors and community service==
Farber is an [[Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science|AAAS Fellow]], [[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers|IEEE Fellow]], [[ACM Fellow]], and recipient of the 1995 [[SIGCOMM Award]] for lifelong contributions to computer communications. He has served on the board of directors of the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]], the [[Electronic Privacy Information Center]] advisory board, the board of trustees of the [[Internet Society]], and as a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on High Performance Computing and Communications, Information Technology and Next Generation Internet. He runs a large (25,000+ readership)<ref>{{cite news |first1=Michael L. |last1=Rozansky | first2=Dan |last2=Stets |title=When David J. Farber speaks, technologically savvy thinkers listen |url= http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/199609/msg00027.html |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] | date=September 21, 1996 |access-date=December 7, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110927151712/http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/199609/msg00027.html |archive-date=September 27, 2011}}</ref> mailing list called Interesting-People. In 2012, in memory of his son, he established the Joseph M. Farber prize at the Stevens Institute of Technology, which recognizes a graduating senior majoring in one of the disciplines of the College of Arts and Letters who displays a keen interest in and concern for civil liberties and their importance in preserving and protecting human rights.

On August 3, 2013, Farber was inducted into the Pioneers Circle of the [[Internet Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.internethalloffame.org/press/latest-news/internet-hall-fame-announces-2013-inductees |title=Internet Hall of Fame Announces 2013 Inductees |date=June 26, 2013 |publisher=[[Internet Hall of Fame]] |access-date=August 3, 2013}}</ref> He was elected as the AAAS Fellow by the Council of the [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]] in 2018.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|David Farber}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103094153/http://www.epp.cmu.edu/people/bios/farber.html |date=January 3, 2014 |title=Carnegie Mellon University: Engineering and Public Policy: EPP Faculty: David J. Farber }}
* [https://ip.topicbox.com/groups/ip Topicbox: Interesting-People]
* [https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/icon/oddsends/farber.htm Farberisms] <!-- this can be put back if the original site does disappear: {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216073942/http://www2.cs.arizona.edu/icon/oddsends/farber.htm |date=December 16,2018|title=Farberisms }}-->

{{Internet Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farber, David}}
[[Category:American computer scientists]]
[[Category:Carnegie Mellon University faculty]]
[[Category:2001 fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery]]
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Scientists from Pittsburgh]]
[[Category:Programming language designers]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Internet pioneers]]
[[Category:Fellows of the IEEE]]
[[Category:University of Pennsylvania Department of Computer and Information Science faculty]]
[[Category:Stevens Institute of Technology alumni]]