Philip A. Nelson

Philip A. Nelson is a Professor in the Computer Science Department at Western Washington University (WWU). His research and teaching focus on Parallel and Distributed Computing, Software Systems, File Systems, Unix Programming, and Mobile Devices, with additional expertise in Compilers, Computer Networks, and the Chapel Programming Language. He is affiliated with the Laboratory for Distributed Computing at WWU and contributes to open-source projects like NetBSD and GNU.

Education

• BS in Computer Science from Pacific Union College
• MS in Computer Science from University of California, Davis
• PhD in Computer Science from University of Washington

Teaching

For Spring 2025, he teaches CSCI 447 - Operating Systems and CSCI 415/515 - Parallel Computation. His office hours are held in-person at Communications Facility 467 during MTWF 3:00pm-4:00pm, with virtual options via Zoom (ID: 308916020) by appointment.

Research and Tools

He maintains NetBSD, GNU, and Chapel programming resources. His work includes educational materials on UNIX program development, debugging with GDB, and tools like GNU Make.

Contact

Email addresses include Phil.Nelson@wwu.edu, phil.nelson@wwu.edu, and phil@wwu.edu. His personal web server is hosted at pcnelson.net.

Personal Interests

Outside academia, he enjoys racquetball, fishing, hiking, and camping.