Paul N. Hilfinger

Paul N. Hilfinger is a Professor in the Computer Science Division of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) department at the University of California, Berkeley. He has been actively involved in teaching, research, and departmental activities for many years.

Education:

• 1980, Ph.D., Computer Science, Carnegie-Mellon University
• 1973, AB, Mathematics, Princeton University

Hilfinger's research focuses on programming systems and scientific computing, with particular expertise in software engineering and parallel programming techniques. He has made significant contributions to the field through his work on the Titanium project, which developed a high-performance Java dialect designed for parallel computing. His research bridges theoretical computer science with practical applications in compiler technology and programming language design.

His publication record shows a consistent focus on programming language development, particularly in creating extensions to Java that support high-performance and parallel computing. The Titanium project represents his most significant research contribution, spanning multiple publications from the late 1990s through the 2000s.

Scientific Awards:

• Jim and Donna Gray Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching of Computer Science (2000)
• Diane S. McEntyre Award for Excellence in Teaching Computer Science (1993)

Hilfinger has been deeply involved in undergraduate education at Berkeley, teaching courses such as CS61B (Data Structures). He runs the annual Berkeley Programming Contest, which has been held each fall since 1991 and serves as a qualifier for the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest. His educational contributions extend to developing teaching materials, grading guidelines, and analyzing grade distributions for EECS students.

He maintains several software projects including PRCS (Project Revision Control System), GJDB (a Java debugger), and the ucb package (providing C/C++-like I/O for Java). His work demonstrates a strong commitment to both research and practical software development in the field of computer science.