Initiative in Innovative Computing (IIC) Harvard University

Douglas Alan received his S.B. in language and mind from MIT in 1988 and has completed graduate-level work in computer science, philosophy, and cognitive science. Before coming to Harvard, he worked at MIT for 20 years as a software engineer and as a Unix system administrator. He worked on Project Athena in its early days, designed computing infrastructure for the Media Lab, and wrote software for operating an X-ray space telescope and for managing bioengineering experiments aboard the International Space Station. He also started and ran a large Internet-based music discussion forum long before the general public knew there was such a thing as the Internet. Alan is currently working on the Astronomical Medicine project at the IIC. His professional interests include programming, software engineering methodology, Unix and Unix-like operating systems, and how to efficiently and effectively manage large networks of computers. His personal interests include science, art, alternative music, film, philosophy of mind, science fiction, photography, scuba diving, and upgrading his friends’ TiVos.