Computer Science Researcher

A Computer Science Researcher is a scientist who performs computer science research (to advance computing theory and computing systems).

• Context:
  • Role Input: computing problems, computational resources, theoretical frameworks
    • Optional Input: research grants, collaborations, specialized hardware
  • Role Output: research papers, algorithms, theoretical proofs, computing systems
  • Role Performance Measure: publication impact, theoretical advancements, practical applications
  • ...
  • They can (typically) conduct theoretical research into computational problems.
  • They can (typically) develop new algorithms and computational methods.
  • They can (typically) analyze computational complexity of solutions.
  • They can (typically) design computing system architectures.
  • They can (typically) advance computer science theory through mathematical proofs.
  • ...
  • They can (often) work in academic institutions conducting fundamental research.
  • They can (often) focus on specific computing domains like algorithms or systems.
  • They can (often) collaborate with industry partners on applied research.
  • They can (often) supervise graduate students and research projects.
  • They can (often) publish in computer science journals and conferences.
  • ...
  • They can range from being an Applied Computer Scientist to being a Theoretical Computer Scientist, based on research focus.
  • They can range from being a Junior Computer Scientist to being a Senior Computer Scientist, depending on experience level.
  • They can range from being an Industry Computer Scientist to being an Academic Computer Scientist, based on work context.
  • ...
  • They can contribute to computing foundations through theoretical work.
  • They can develop practical applications of computer science theory.
  • They can advance fields like artificial intelligence, databases, and networking.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Historical Pioneers, such as:
    • Ada Lovelace for early computing concepts.
    • Alan Turing (1912-1954) for computation theory.
    • Grace Hopper for programming languages.
    • Edsger W. Dijkstra for algorithms and programming.
  • Modern Researchers, such as:
    • Donald E. Knuth for analysis of algorithms.
    • Stephen A. Cook for complexity theory.
    • Judea Pearl for probabilistic reasoning.
    • Edgar F. Codd for relational databases.
  • Contemporary Researchers, such as:
    • Jiawei Han for data mining.
    • Martin Ester for clustering algorithms.
    • Anoop Sarkar for computational linguistics.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Software Engineers, who focus on software development rather than computer science research.
  • Mathematicians, who study pure mathematics rather than computation.
  • Computer Engineers, who focus on hardware rather than theory.
  • Information Technology Professionals, who manage computing infrastructure rather than conduct research.
• See: Computer Science, Computing Research, Algorithm Theory, Computational Complexity, Software System.

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References

2017

• https://code.berlin/en/blog/computer-science-software-engineering/
  • QUOTE: Computer Scientists are first and foremost scientists. They possess a deep knowledge of the theoretical foundations in mathematics and information science and can develop complex algorithms and advance scientific research. They operate in a world of rigorous analyses, clearly defined concepts and proven facts.

    The digital skills in demand as described by employers, labor market studies and politicians are of a different kind. They involve the ability to interact with human beings and to create easy to use software solutions for real world problems with limited resources in a highly unreliable and dynamically changing environment.

2013

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_scientist
  • A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application

     Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computer systems, as opposed to the hardware side that computer engineers mainly focus on (although there is overlap). Although computer scientists can also focus their work and research on specific areas (such as algorithm and data structure development and design, software engineering, information theory, database theory, computational complexity theory, human-computer interaction, numerical analysis, programming language theory, computer graphics, and computer vision), their foundation is the theoretical study of computing from which these other fields derive.

2006

• (Mitchel, 2006)
  • QUOTE: A Computer Scientist asks: “How can we build machines that solve problems, and which problems are inherently tractable/intractable?”

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