Microsoft Research Leaders Promoted in Recognition Of MSR Growth, Contribution to Microsoft and Industry

REDMOND, Wash., May 3, 2000 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Dr. Rick Rashid has been promoted to senior vice president of Microsoft Research (MSR), and Dr. Dan Ling has been promoted to vice president of Microsoft Research, Redmond.

“Rick and Dan have built Microsoft Research into a world-class research lab that is contributing both to the development of innovative products for Microsoft customers and to academic and computer industry efforts to create dynamic new technologies that benefit consumers around the globe,”
said Microsoft President and CEO Steve Ballmer.

Since Rashid joined Microsoft in 1991 to help found Microsoft Research, he has been central to the growth and recognition of MSR as a global leader in the world of basic and applied research in computer science, Ballmer said. Under his guidance, Microsoft Research has grown to include more than 500 research and advanced technology staff on three continents, with labs in Redmond; San Francisco; Cambridge, England; and most recently in Beijing.

“Rick’s promotion from vice president to senior vice president is in recognition of his demonstrated ability to combine strong management skills with scientific research interests,”
Ballmer said.
“Rick is an enabler of both people and technologies, a truly unique combination.”

Under Rashid, Microsoft Research has been responsible for the development of important technologies such as Microsoft® ClearType TM display technology, Microsoft’s natural language processing system, and Microsoft Audio 4.0, as well as key components of products such as the Microsoft Windows® 2000 operating system, Microsoft Office 2000 and Microsoft SQL Server TM 7.0. A number of current Microsoft product groups evolved out of work done in MSR, including Microsoft’s highly successful Digital Media Division. Rashid also has been responsible for building collaborations between Microsoft Research and leading academic institutions, such as the $25 million
“I-Campus”
alliance with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that has as its goal the creation of new technologies to improve education.

Ling has been running Microsoft’s Redmond research operations for the past five years. During that time, the Redmond lab has grown more than threefold to include research in important and exciting new areas such as streaming media, data mining, computer mediated collaboration, networking, devices, wireless networking and new development tools, Ballmer said.

“In addition to managing all of our basic research operations in Redmond, Dan and his team will play an important role in the creation of our Next Generation Windows Services platform,”
Ballmer said.

Microsoft also announced that Nathan Myhrvold, who served as chief technology officer prior to taking a leave of absence last July 1, has decided not to return full-time to Microsoft, but will serve as a special adviser to Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates on strategic issues. In addition, Myhrvold will be focusing on other interests, including biotechnology, paleontology and philanthropy.

“Nathan’s contributions to Microsoft and to the creation of Microsoft Research were critical,”
said Gates.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Nathan, although it won’t be in a full-time capacity.”

“Rick Rashid is one of the world’s great research leaders,”
Myhrvold said.
“He built Microsoft Research from the ground up to its current status as one of the top computer science research laboratories. Microsoft Research couldn’t be in better hands.”

Rashid is known as an accomplished researcher who has published papers in numerous areas and holds patents in fields ranging from data compression to networking and operating systems. He is perhaps best known for the design and development of the Mach operating system, which continues to this day to influence new operating system development. He is also credited with co-development of one of the earliest networked computer games,
“Alto Trek,”
during the mid-1970s. An updated version of this game has been developed by Microsoft and was released several weeks ago under the name
“Allegiance.”

Rashid has served on a number of industry and government advisory committees over the years and is currently a member of the National Science Foundation’s Computer Directorate Advisory Committee. Before joining Microsoft, Rashid was a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. Rashid received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and comparative literature from Stanford University and master’s and doctoral degrees in computer science from the University of Rochester.

Prior to joining Microsoft Research in 1992, Ling was a senior manager at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, where he was a co-inventor of the video-RAM dynamic memory and managed the research project that led to the IBM RS/6000. Ling holds seven patents and has published work in areas as diverse as solid-state physics, systems, user interfaces and holography. Ling received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

About Microsoft Research

Established in 1991, Microsoft Research is dedicated to conducting both basic and applied research in computer science and software engineering. The goal is to develop new technologies to simplify and enhance the user’s computing experience, reduce the cost of writing and maintaining software, and facilitate the creation of new types of software. For more information on Microsoft Research, see http://research.microsoft.com/ .

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software – any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft, ClearType and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual products and companies mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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