Q: Why Microsoft Research, and why now? <\/strong><\/p>\n Wing<\/strong>: I am no stranger to Microsoft, and vice versa.<\/p>\n Personally, I\u2019ve had a longstanding relationship with Microsoft Research. I spent a sabbatical from 2002-2003 at Microsoft Research Redmond (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, hosted by Jim Larus. After reading Bill Gates (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>\u2019 2001 Trustworthy Computing memo, I wanted to find out from the inside what Microsoft was doing in security, and during my sabbatical, I was fortunate to have made connections to key people working in Windows security. I actually sat in the group that included Tom Ball (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a> and Sriram Rajamani (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, who were working on the SLAM (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a> project. My research career started in formal methods, and the SLAM project is a stellar success story of applying formal methods to software.<\/p>\n I had a wonderful year on sabbatical, and because of my interest in security, I was asked to be on Microsoft\u2019s Trustworthy Computing Academic Advisory Board. I was on this board since its inception, except for the three years I was at the National Science Foundation.<\/p>\n At an institutional level, when I first became department head at Carnegie Mellon University in 2004, I started having conversations with Rick [Rashid (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, Microsoft chief research officer] about setting up a joint center at Carnegie Mellon. Those conversations led to the Microsoft Research-Carnegie Mellon University Center for Computational Thinking (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s in its sixth year, supporting basic research, much as Microsoft Research does, and fostering collaborations between Microsoft Research scientists and Carnegie Mellon faculty and students.<\/p>\n When Rick offered me the position to oversee Microsoft Research\u2019s international labs to continue the charter of a basic, open research organization affiliated with Microsoft, it was a unique opportunity too good to pass up. The position gives me an opportunity to make a difference on an international scale and gives me valuable corporate experience.<\/p>\n Q: Please provide a brief summary of your career. <\/strong><\/p>\n Wing<\/strong>: After I got my Ph.D. from MIT, I went to the University of Southern California for two years and then joined Carnegie Mellon University. Academically, I grew up at CMU. I spent three years at the National Science Foundation, and when I came back, I agreed to be department head again. Altogether, I was at Carnegie Mellon University for 27\u00bd years, 5\u00bd as department head.<\/p>\n At NSF, I oversaw federal funding for academic computer-science research in the United States. I got to see the breadth of the field; computing in context with all other science and engineering disciplines; the importance of federally funded basic research; and the global influence of a prestigious government agency. I also saw how a very small agency like the NSF has to make the argument continuously to Congress for why the nation should fund basic research at all and basic research in science and engineering specifically.<\/p>\n Q: As the head of Microsoft Research International, you\u2019re overseeing labs in the <\/strong>United Kingdom<\/strong> (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, <\/strong>China<\/strong> (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, and <\/strong>India<\/strong> (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>. What opportunities do you anticipate? <\/strong><\/p>\n Wing<\/strong>: I have two main responsibilities. The first is to foster communication and collaboration across all Microsoft Research\u2019s labs. I will be working closely with Peter Lee (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, who has the same position for the U.S. labs.<\/p>\n If you think of Microsoft Research as one huge research enterprise, with 850 brilliant researchers spread around the world, there are opportunities probably missed by people simply not knowing about each other\u2019s work, especially when they\u2019re in the same research area. Making connections can help people build on each other\u2019s work and thus advance the field much more expeditiously.<\/p>\n Actually, I\u2019ve already found that there\u2019s more awareness, at least for people in the same research area, than I had thought. That\u2019s good.<\/p>\n My second responsibility is to serve as an interface between Microsoft Research and the rest of the company. Here too, there are many more connections and collaborations between researchers and business groups than I had thought. I\u2019m still learning about what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not, and how we can improve those relationships.<\/p>\n For both responsibilities, my goal is to increase the effectiveness of collaborations. I would like to see collaborations that will have a high impact on the company, on science, and on society.<\/p>\n My role is to represent the international labs, to make sure their voice is heard. I will make sure that people in Beijing, Bangalore, and Cambridge [U.K.] are tapped for their knowledge on a given topic or are invited to relevant meetings. They know they have someone in Redmond to speak up for them.<\/p>\n Q: Given your background, what does it mean for you to move into an industrial setting and have the opportunity to affect product development?<\/strong><\/p>\n Wing<\/strong>: Moving from academia to industry is a huge change for me, but moving to Microsoft Research is not, since it supports a value system shared by academia.<\/p>\n Given the current portfolio of Microsoft products and services, any way in which research can have a positive impact on their future would be great. There\u2019s already good stuff happening. I want to increase the opportunities and their potential impact and to make sure that both sides are happy.<\/p>\n I\u2019m also thinking about strategic directions for the company. What new products, services, and devices might Microsoft be going into? What implications do they have for Microsoft Research?<\/p>\n At the same time, Microsoft Research has a wealth of expertise in areas that may not look like they\u2019re directly related to any existing product, service, or device at Microsoft. These areas are fountains of innovation. Some of these cool ideas might be the start of whole new businesses for Microsoft.<\/p>\n![\"Jeannette](\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jeannette-Wing.png\")
<\/p>\n