Born: 1951 (Toronto, Ontario)
Biography:
Maria Margaret Klawe is a renowned computer scientist and the fifth president of Harvey Mudd College since July 1, 2006. She was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1951 and later became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009. Klawe’s journey in academia has been marked by numerous achievements and a steadfast commitment to advancing women in STEM fields.
Klawe’s early years were spent in Scotland, where she lived from ages 4 to 12. After returning to Canada, her family settled in Edmonton, Alberta. She pursued her higher education at the University of Alberta, initially dropping out to embark on a global adventure. However, Klawe’s passion for learning prompted her return to the university, and she earned her B.Sc. degree in 1973. She continued her studies at the same institution, completing her Ph.D. in mathematics in 1977.
In her pursuit of knowledge and career growth, Klawe joined Oakland University as an assistant professor in the mathematics faculty in 1977. However, her stay was brief, as the University of Toronto offered her a faculty position before she could complete her second Ph.D. in computer science. This decision proved to be a turning point in her life, as she had never studied computer science before. Undeterred, Klawe enrolled in rigorous upper-level courses and dedicated approximately 16 hours a day to her studies.
Klawe’s professional trajectory led her to spend eight years in industry, specifically at IBM’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California. During her time there, she served first as a research scientist and later as manager of both the Discrete Mathematics Group and the Mathematics and Related Computer Science Department.
After her fruitful tenure at IBM, Klawe, along with her husband Nick Pippenger, relocated to the University of British Columbia (UBC). Her tenure at UBC spanned fifteen years, during which she held increasingly influential positions. Klawe served as the head of the Department of Computer Science from 1988 to 1995, vice president of student and academic services from 1995 to 1998, and dean of science from 1998 to 2002.
Following her impactful tenure at UBC, Klawe made the transition to Princeton University, where she assumed the role of Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Her tenure at Princeton further solidified her reputation as a trailblazer and advocate for women in STEM.
In 2006, Klawe made history as the first female president of Harvey Mudd College. Upon her arrival, women made up only around 30% of the student body and faculty. However, under Klawe’s leadership, these numbers began to shift significantly. Today, approximately 50% of the students and over 40% of the faculty at Harvey Mudd College are female, a testament to Klawe’s unwavering commitment to gender equality in academia.
Beyond her academic pursuits, Klawe also became a citizen of the United States on January 29, 2009. Later that same year, she joined the board of directors of the Microsoft Corporation, further cementing her place as a prominent figure in the technology industry.
Awards:
– Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (1996)
– Founding fellow of the Canadian Information Processing Society (2006)
– Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2009)
– Fellow of the American Mathematical Society (2012)
– Fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics (2019)
– Honorary doctorate from Ryerson Polytechnic University