Hal Abelson

Hal Abelson is an American mathematician and computer scientist, currently serving as a professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT. He is a key figure in the founding of Creative Commons and the Free Software Foundation, as well as a core contributor to the MIT OpenCourseWare project. He co-developed the popular MIT App Inventor platform, which enables users without programming backgrounds to rapidly create mobile applications. Additionally, he collaborated with Gerald Jay Sussman on the classic computer science textbook Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP), which has had a profound impact on computer science education worldwide. Abelson has demonstrated outstanding achievements in teaching, research, and advancing open educational resources and remains an important member of the Free Software Movement.

• 1981–Present·Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)·Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
  • Leading the MIT OpenCourseWare project.
  • Collaborated with Gerald Jay Sussman to develop MIT's introductory computer science course Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (6.001).
  • Responsible for the development and promotion of the MIT App Inventor platform.
• 2011–Present·MIT Center for Mobile Learning·Co-Director
  • Continues to drive the growth of the open-source App Inventor project.

• 1965–1969·Princeton University·Bachelor of Mathematics
  • Completed the thesis Actions on Fixed Point Sets: Homology Spheres.
• 1969–1973·Massachusetts Institute of Technology·Ph.D. in Mathematics
  • Completed the dissertation Topologically Distinct Conjugate Varieties with Finite Fundamental Groups.