Andrew Herbert

Andrew James Herbert OBE (born 1954) is a British computer scientist, and Managing Director of Microsoft Research, Cambridge, UK, where he leads research in distributed computing, operating systems, and networks.

Biography
Herbert received a BSc in computational science from the Leeds University in 1975, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cambridge University in 1978 for his work on "A Microprogrammed Operating System Kernel".

In 1978 he started working at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory as assistant professor under Maurice Wilkes and Roger Needham in the Computer Laboratory worked with others on the "Cambridge Model Distributed System". In 1985 he left Cambridge to found his own computer company, which "led projects to develop ANSA, the Advanced Network Systems Architecture". In 1996 he had founded another computer company to "develop a product to enable for secure deployment of Java clients for business-to-business applications". Two years later he joined Citrix Systems Inc. to become Director of Advanced Technology, initiating Web-based applications. In 2001 he joined Microsoft Research in Cambridge, and became managing director in April 2003.

Herbert is a member of UKCRC and an EPSRC Board member. He is a Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge, a member of St John's College, Cambridge, a Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Liveryman of the City of London Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Information Technology Professional.

Herbert was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.

Work
His research interests include computer networking, operating systems, distributed computing, programming languages and large-scale data driven systems. He played an active role in many standards and consortia for distributed computing including TINA-C, ISO/ITU ODP, OSF DCE and OMG CORBA.

Advanced Networked Systems Architecture
The Advanced Networked Systems Architecture (ANSA) has been a research program at Cambridge starting in the 1980s which aimed to developm "distributed systems technology to support applications integration in enterprise-wide systems. The ANSA work included research on support for interactive multi-media services, object technology for World Wide Web applications, distributed systems management, mobile object systems and security for electronic commerce".

In the 1990s ANSA-based technology was "used by many organizations ahead of the widespread availability of commercial, CORBA-based products. Notable successes included the NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS), a European radio pager system and the online customer service system for a major UK utility. As part of the ANSA work, Herbert played an active role in many standards and consortia for distributed computing including TINA-C, RM-ODP, OSF DCE and OMG CORBA".

Publications
Herbert published several books and articles, a selection:
 * 1979. The Cambridge CAP Computer and Its Operating System. With Maurice Wilkes and Roger Needham (ed.)
 * 1984. Cambridge distributed computing system. With Roger Needham
 * 2004. Computer systems : theory, technology, and applications : a tribute to Roger Needham . With Karen Spärck Jones (ed.)