Advisory Board

Dr. Stephen Wolfram

Stephen Wolfram has been responsible for three revolutionary developments: the Mathematica computation system, A New Kind of Science, and the Wolfram|Alpha computational knowledge engine.
 
Stephen was educated at Eton, Oxford, and Caltech, earning his Ph.D. in theoretical physics at the age of 20. His work on basic science led him to a series of fundamental discoveries about the computational universe of possible programs. Summarized in his best-selling 2002 book A New Kind of Science, these discoveries have not only launched major new directions in basic research, but have also led to breakthroughs in scientific modeling in physical, biological, and social domains — as well as defining a broad new basis for technology discovery.
 
Launched in 1988, Mathematica has revolutionized the way technical computation is done, and has been responsible for countless advances over the past two decades. Starting from a set of fundamental principles devised by Stephen, Mathematica has continually grown, integrating more and more algorithmic domains, and spawning such technologies as the Computable Document Format (CDF).
 
Building on Mathematica and A New Kind of Science, Stephen in 2009 launched Wolfram|Alpha — an ambitious, long-term project to make as much of the world’s knowledge as possible computable, and accessible to everyone. Used every day on the web and through apps by millions of people around the world, Wolfram|Alpha defines a fundamentally new kind of computing platform that is turning science-fiction computer intelligence into reality.
 
In addition to his scientific and technical achievements, Stephen has been the CEO of Wolfram Research since its founding in 1987. Under his leadership, Wolfram Research has become one of the world’s most respected software companies, as well as a powerhouse of technical and intellectual innovation, and a major contributor to education and research around the world.
 
Read Cellular Automata and Complexity: Collected Papers. Read interviews and publications about Stephen. Read his recent writings and speeches. Read his academic articles and reports. Read his scrapbook. View his timeline. Watch A New Kind of Science — Stephen Wolfram, Stephen Wolfram: Computing a theory of everything, Stephen Wolfram discusses Wolfram|Alpha: Computational Knowledge Engine, and Stephen Wolfram. Read his blog. Read his LinkedIn profile. Visit his Facebook page. Follow his Twitter feed.