Vint Cerf

Vinton Cerf, commonly acknowledged as one of the "fathers of the Internet," co-developed the TCP/IP protocol with Robert Kahn, a foundation for the modern Internet. Cerf's professional journey spans across influential roles at IBM, Stanford University, DARPA, MCI, CNRI, and Google. Since October 2005, he has served as a vice president and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, contributing significantly to the development of internet technologies and standards. This includes co-authoring the first TCP protocol specification with Yogen Dalal and Carl Sunshine, published as "Specification of Internet Transmission Control Program" (RFC 675) in December 1974.

Outside his technical contributions, Cerf actively participates in shaping the future of technology. He has raised concerns about the potential for a "digital Dark Age," a scenario where crucial digital data could become inaccessible. Demonstrating his foresight, he has predicted how technology, particularly artificial intelligence, environmentalism, IPv6, and the transformation of the television industry, will impact future societies. His commitment to the digital world extends to his involvement with key institutions such as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), where he served on its board from 1999 to November 2007 and as chairman from November 2000. He has also served as the first president of the Internet Society (ISOC) and was elected as the president of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) in 2012.

Over the years, Cerf has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, acknowledging his pioneering contributions to the Internet and technology. His accolades include the ACM Fellow (1994), IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal (1997), IEEE Medal of Honor (2023), National Medal of Technology (1997), Marconi Prize (1998), Prince of Asturias Award (2002), Turing Award (2004), Presidential Medal of Freedom (2005), and Japan Prize (2008) among others. In 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush, and in 1997, he received the National Medal of Technology from President Bill Clinton. His influence and expertise have been internationally recognized, with his election as a Foreign Member of The UK Royal Society in 2016 and being presented with the Officer of the French Légion d'honneur in 2014.