Roger Needham

Needham was born in Birmingham, England, the only child of Phyllis Mary, née Baker (c.1904–1976) and Leonard William Needham (c.1905–1973), a university chemistry lecturer. He attended Doncaster Grammar School for Boys in Doncaster (then in the West Riding) going on to St John's College, Cambridge in 1953, and graduating with a BA in 1956 in mathematics and philosophy.Herbert, Andrew James, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-89821?rskey=etYJKy&result=21 "Needham, Roger Michael (1935–2003)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927084922/http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-89821?rskey=etYJKy&result=21 |date=27 September 2018 }}, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, March 2009; online edition, January 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2018 {{subscription required}} His PhD thesis was on applications of digital computers to the automatic classification and retrieval of documents. He worked on a variety of key computing projects in security, operating systems, computer architecture (capability systems) and local area networks.{{MathGenealogy}}{{cite thesis|degree=PhD|url=https://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/permalink/f/t9gok8/44CAM_ALMA21428209250003606|title=The application of digital computers to problems of classification and grouping|year=1962|oclc=78234905|first=Roger Michael|last=Needham|publisher=University of Cambridge|website=cam.ac.uk|access-date=4 February 2022|archive-date=24 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224133040/https://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=44CAM_ALMA21428209250003606&vid=44CAM_PROD&search_scope=SCOP_CAM_ALL&tab=cam_lib_coll&lang=en_US&context=L|url-status=live}}

Among Needham's theoretical contributions is the development of the Burrows–Abadi–Needham logic for authentication, generally known as the BAN logic. His Needham–Schroeder (co-invented with Michael Schroeder) security protocol forms the basis of the Kerberos authentication and key exchange system. He also co-designed the TEA and XTEA encryption algorithms. He pioneered the technique of protecting passwords using a one-way hash function.Wilkes, M. V. Time-Sharing Computer Systems. American Elsevier, New York, (1968).{{cite news|last=Schofield|first=Jack|title=Roger Needham: He set up Microsoft's first overseas research body|website=The Guardian|date=10 March 2003|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/mar/10/guardianobituaries.microsoft|access-date=16 December 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304100227/http://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/mar/10/guardianobituaries.microsoft|url-status=live}}

In 1962, he joined the University of Cambridge's Computer Laboratory, then called the Mathematical Laboratory, serving as the Head of the Laboratory from 1980 until 1995. He was made a professor in 1981 and remained with the laboratory until his retirement in 1998. Between 1996 and 1998, Needham served as the pro-vice chancellor at the University of Cambridge.{{cite news|title=Roger Needham, 68; Microsoft Researcher and Security Expert|website=Los Angeles Times|date=8 March 2003|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-08-me-passings8.1-story.html}} In 1997, he set up Microsoft's UK-based Research Laboratory. He was a founding Fellow of University College, Cambridge, which became Wolfson College.

Needham was a longtime and respected member of the International Association for Cryptologic Research, the IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Security and Privacy, and the University Grants Committee. He was made a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery in 1994.{{cite web |date=7 March 2003 |title=ACM Fellow Roger Needham Dies at 62 |url=http://oldwww.acm.org/announcements/needham_obit.html |department=Pressroom |work=ACM |access-date=11 November 2017 |archive-date=19 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119080841/http://oldwww.acm.org/announcements/needham_obit.html |url-status=live }}

Needham was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1985 and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 1993. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his contributions to computing in 2001. Needham held honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Twente, Loughborough University,[http://www.lboro.ac.uk/service/publicity/degree_days/degree_2001/needham.html Speech presenting Needham with an honorary degree] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030307031112/http://www.lboro.ac.uk/service/publicity/degree_days/degree_2001/needham.html |date=7 March 2003 }}, Loughborough University, 13 July 2001 and the University of Kent.

Needham has several awards named after him in his honour. The British Computer Society established an annual Roger Needham Award in 2004.[http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=nav.5939 Roger Needham Lecture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705164133/http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=nav.5939 |date=5 July 2010 }} at the British Computer Society website

The European Conference on Computer Systems (EuroSys){{cite web|url=http://www.eurosys.org/|title=European Chapter of ACM SIGOPS|website=eurosys.org|access-date=2019-12-07|archive-date=8 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408214735/http://eurosys.org/|url-status=live}} established the annual Roger Needham PhD Award.{{cite web|url=http://www.eurosys.org/awards/needham-award|title=phd-award – European Chapter of ACM SIGOPS|website=eurosys.org|access-date=2019-12-07|archive-date=19 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119222428/http://www.eurosys.org/awards/needham-award|url-status=live}} It awards €2,000 to a PhD student from a European university whose thesis is regarded to be an exceptional, innovative contribution to knowledge in the computer systems area. Past winners have been:

• 2021 Victor van de Veen (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam){{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
• 2020 Michael Schwarz (Graz University of Technology) for his PhD thesis Software-based Side-Channel Attacks and Defenses in Restricted Environments{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
• 2019 Manolis Karpathiotakis, EPFL{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
• 2018 Dennis Andriesse (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) for his PhD thesis Analyzing and Securing Binaries Through Static Disassembly{{Cite thesis |url=https://syssec.mistakenot.net/theses/phd-thesis.pdf |title=Analyzing and Securing Binaries Through Static Disassembly |first=Dennis |type=PhD |last=Andriesse |publisher=Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |access-date=26 April 2018 |archive-date=26 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426080159/https://syssec.mistakenot.net/theses/phd-thesis.pdf |url-status=live }}
• 2015 Cristiano Giuffrida (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) for his PhD thesis Safe and Automatic Live Update{{cite web |url=http://dare.ubvu.vu.nl/handle/1871/52113 |title=Safe and automatic live update – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |publisher=Dare.ubvu.vu.nl |date=2014-04-10 |accessdate=2022-02-24 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085930/http://dare.ubvu.vu.nl/handle/1871/52113 |url-status=live }}
• 2014 Torvald Riegel (Technische Universitaet Dresden), for his thesis Software Transactional Memory Building Blocks{{cite web |author=Technische Universität Dresden – Qucosa |url=http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-115596 |title=Qucosa – Technische Universität Dresden: Software Transactional Memory Building Blocks |language=de |publisher=Nbn-resolving.de |accessdate=2022-02-24 |archive-date=24 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224133056/https://tud.qucosa.de/landing-page/?tx_dlf[id]=https%3A%2F%2Ftud.qucosa.de%2Fapi%2Fqucosa%253A26938%2Fmets |url-status=live }}
• 2013 Asia Slowinska (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) for her PhD thesis Using Information Flow Tracking to Protect Legacy Binaries{{cite web |url=http://dare.ubvu.vu.nl/handle/1871/35439 |title=Using information flow tracking to protect legacy binaries – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |publisher=Dare.ubvu.vu.nl |date=2012-05-30 |accessdate=2022-02-24 |archive-date=13 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513203734/http://dare.ubvu.vu.nl/handle/1871/35439 |url-status=live }}
• 2012 Derek Murray, for his thesis A Distributed Execution Engine Supporting Data-Dependent Control Flow{{cite thesis|degree=PhD|publisher=University of Cambridge|title=A distributed execution engine supporting data-dependent control flow|first= Derek Gordon|last=Murray|date=2012|id={{EThOS|uk.bl.ethos.610417}}|hdl=}}
• 2011 Jorrit Herder for Building a Dependable Operating System: Fault Tolerance in MINIX 3{{cite thesis|degree=PhD|first=Jorrit|last=Herder|year=2011|hdl=1871/16055|title=Building a Dependable Operating System: Fault Tolerance in MINIX 3|oclc=664802571|publisher=Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam}}
• 2010 Willem de Bruijn (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) for Adaptive Operating System Design for High Throughput I/O[http://hdl.handle.net/1871/21639 ]{{dead link|date=February 2022}}
• 2009 Jacob Gorm Hansen (DIKU) for Virtual Machine Mobility with Self-Migration{{Cite web |url=http://www.diku.dk/hjemmesider/ansatte/jacobg/thesis.pdf |title=Virtual machine mobility with self-migration |type=PhD |orig-date=29 June 2007 |date=7 April 2009 |author=Jacob Gorm Hansen |publisher=University of Copenhagen |access-date=24 September 2010 |archive-date=8 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608092638/http://www.diku.dk/hjemmesider/ansatte/jacobg/thesis.pdf |url-status=dead }}
• 2008 Adam Dunkels (SICS) for Programming Memory-Constrained Networked Embedded Systems{{cite web |url=http://www.sics.se/~adam/dunkels07programming.pdf |title=Svensk forskning för hållbar tillväxt| RISE |language=sv |publisher=Sics.se |accessdate=2022-02-24 |archive-date=27 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827203721/http://www.sics.se/~adam/dunkels07programming.pdf |url-status=live }}
• 2007 Nick Cook (Newcastle University) for Middleware Support for Non-repudiable Business-to-Business Interactions{{Cite web |url=http://homepages.cs.ncl.ac.uk/nick.cook/papers/cook-thesis.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=24 September 2010 |archive-date=13 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613210705/http://homepages.cs.ncl.ac.uk/nick.cook/papers/cook-thesis.pdf |url-status=live }}
• 2006 Oliver Heckmann (TU Darmstadt) for A System-oriented Approach to Efficiency and Quality of Service for Internet Service Providers{{cite web |url=http://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/epda/000522/heckmann_dissertation.pdf |title=master.dvi |accessdate=2022-02-24 |archive-date=19 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719100353/http://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/epda/000522/heckmann_dissertation.pdf |url-status=live }}

Needham married fellow computer scientist Karen Spärck Jones in 1958. He died of cancer in March 2003 at his home in Willingham, Cambridgeshire.{{cite news | url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20030306/needham06/microsofts-needham-dies-from-cancer | title=Microsoft's Needham dies from cancer | work=The Seattle Times | date=6 March 2003 | access-date=1 October 2012 | author=Peterson, Kim | archive-date=3 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215519/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20030306&slug=needham06 | url-status=live }}

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Category:1935 births

Category:2003 deaths

Category:Academics of the University of Cambridge

Category:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge

Category:British computer scientists

Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire

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Category:Fellows of the Royal Society

Category:Fellows of University College, Cambridge

Category:Fellows of Wolfson College, Cambridge

Category:1994 fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery

Category:Microsoft employees

Category:Deaths from cancer in England

Category:People from Sheffield

Category:People from South Cambridgeshire District