Dr Bill Wulf
Deceased
Dr Bill Wulf FTSE

OBITUARY

William Wulf died on 10/3/2023.

Dr William Wulf was elected as a Fellow of the Academy in 2005 for his contributions as a computer scientist. He was a Foreign Fellow of the Academy and passed away in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Dr Wulf was among the first to receive a computer science graduate degree, receiving his in 1968. He made a career in the field when it barely existed, later leading efforts to reshape and inspire thinking about engineering conduct, progress and ethics. He was an advocate for education and diversity in engineering.

Dr Wulf’s most notable achievement was overseeing changes to consolidate data-sharing technology, first developed by the Pentagon, to open it up for civilian users. At the time, he headed the National Science Foundation’s computer and engineering directorate. The model he helped create was one of the critical building blocks of what we know as the internet today.

Dr Wulf is survived by his beloved wife, Anita Jones, daughters Ellen Wulf Epstein and Karin Wulf, sons-in-law Steven Epstein and Christopher Grasso, and grandsons Henry and Abraham Epstein and John and Ethan Lofgren. He passed away on 10 March 2023. 


Fellow status Elected 2005 Division N/A
Fellowship Affiliations Classification Sector Expertise 132 - Computer science