Vint Cerf

Internet pioneer, widely regarded as a "Father of the Internet".

Vinton Gray Cerf ForMemRS, (born June 23, 1943) is an American Internet pioneer, who is recognized as one of "the fathers of the Internet", sharing this title with TCP/IP co-inventor Bob Kahn. His contributions have been acknowledged and lauded, repeatedly, with honorary degrees and awards that include the National Medal of Technology, the Turing Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Marconi Prize and membership in the National Academy of Engineering.

In the early days, Cerf was a manager for the United States' Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funding various groups to develop TCP/IP technology. When the Internet began to transition to a commercial opportunity during the late 1980s, Cerf moved to MCI where he was instrumental in the development of the first commercial email system (MCI Mail) connected to the Internet.

Cerf was instrumental in the funding and formation of ICANN from the start. He waited in the wings for a year before he stepped forward to join the ICANN Board, eventually becoming chairman. He was elected as the president of the Association for Computing Machinery in May 2012, and in August 2013 he joined the Council on CyberSecurity's Board of Advisors.

Cerf is active in many organizations that are working to help the Internet deliver humanitarian value in our world today. He is supportive of innovative projects that are experimenting with new approaches to global problems, including the digital divide, the gender gap, and the changing nature of jobs. Cerf is also known for his sartorial style, typically appearing in three-piece suit—a rarity in an industry known for its casual dress norms.

Cerf has received a number of honorary degrees, including doctorates, from the University of the Balearic Islands, ETHZ in Zurich, Switzerland, Capitol College, Gettysburg College, Yale University, George Mason University, Marymount University, Bethany College (Kansas), University of Pisa, University of Rovira and Virgili (Tarragona, Spain), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Luleå University of Technology (Sweden), University of Twente (Netherlands), Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Tsinghua University (Beijing), Brooklyn Polytechnic, UPCT (University of Cartagena, Spain), Zaragoza University (Spain), University of Reading (United Kingdom), Royal Roads University (Canada), MGIMO (Moscow State University of International Relations), Buenos Aires Institute of Technology (Argentina), Polytechnic University of Madrid, Keio University (Japan), University of South Australia (Australia), University of St Andrews (Scotland), University of Pittsburgh and Gallaudet University (United States).

Other awards include:

• ACM Fellow (1994)
• Edward A. Dickson Alumnus of the Year Award from UCLA
• Prince of Asturias award for science and technology
• Fellow of the IEEE, 1988,
• Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, 1994,
• Yuri Rubinsky Memorial Award, 1996
• SIGCOMM Award, 1996
• Certificate of Merit from The Franklin Institute, in 1996.
• National Medal of Technology, 1997
• Living Legend Medal from the Library of Congress in 2000
• Fellow of the Computer History Museum in 2000
• Fellow of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) in 2000.
• Award of Technology from the Telluride Tech Festival in 2002,
• Turing Award for 2004,
• Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005
• National Inventors Hall of Fame in May 2006
• St. Cyril and Methodius in the Coat of Arms Order in July 2006
• Honorary Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) in 2006
• Japan Prize in 2008.
• Worshipful Company of Information Technologists and given the Freedom of the City of London in 2008.
• Honorary membership in the Yale Political Union
• In 2011, he was awarded an HPI Fellowship
• In September 2011 he was made a distinguished fellow of British Computer Society,
• In 2012, inducted as a Pioneer into the Internet Hall of Fame
• In 2013, Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.
• In 2013, presented the Bernard Price Memorial Lecture
• In 2014, Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st class in Estonia
• In 2014, Officer of the French Légion d'honneur
• In 2016, Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS)