Database Column contributor: Stan Zdonik

Dr. Zdonik is a professor of computer science at Brown University, where he has led the Advanced Data Management Research Group since 1983. He and his team have been involved in a diverse set of research activities including research into object-oriented database systems, semantic query optimization, transaction management, network information systems, data management for mobile systems, data dissemination, and stream processing. Support for this work has come from many government agencies and industrial sources including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), IBM, Digital Equipment Corporation, Apple Computer, Intel, and Sun Microsystems.

Dr. Zdonik has written over 100 research papers that have been published in highly competitive database conferences and journals. He is a member of the board of trustees of the VLDB Endowment and an editor of several academic journals, and has been program chair for both the VLDB and the ICDE database conferences. He was the sole recipient of the prestigious Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award in computer science in 1986.

In the mid-seventies, Dr. Zdonik worked on an advanced data management system for pharmacologists (called Prophet) at Bolt, Beranek, and Newman, Inc., in Cambridge, Mass. He also co-founded Streambase Systems and has been a consultant to many major US corporations including Verizon, Xerox, Digital Equipment Corporation, Object Design, and Computer Corporation of America.

Dr. Zdonik holds two Bachelor of Science degrees (electrical engineering and industrial management), a Master of Science degree, the degree of Electrical Engineer (EE), and a Ph.D., all from MIT.