Frank William Tompa

Professor Frank William Tompa, affiliated with the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, is renowned for his transformative research in database systems and text management. His pioneering work on the world’s first searchable electronic edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) revolutionized document encoding and search technologies.

Dr. Tompa’s contributions span

• Database design
• SGML/XML technologies
• Hypertext systems

and have influenced modern web search engines. He co-founded Open Text Corporation, a $1.8B industry leader, and advanced text-relational database integration.

His accolades include the University-Industry Synergy R&D Partnership Award. He remains a national advocate for university-industry collaboration, serving on NSERC and Mitacs panels.