Honorary doctorate TU/e for Canadian computer scientist Bill Buxton

Published on: 24 November, 2009

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has awarded an honorary doctorate to prof. William Arthur Stewart (Bill) Buxton, principal researcher at Microsoft Research and associate professor at the Department of Computer Science at University of Toronto in Canada. The Executive Board of TU/e made this announcement today. Honorary promoter is prof. dr. Kees Overbeeke of the TU/e Department of Industrial Design.

The award is taking place within the context of the celebration of the 54th anniversary of TU/e on Thursday 22 April next.
Prof. Bill Buxton (60) will be given this distinction for his outstanding research in the human-computer interaction field. Within this broad field he has manifested himself in a large number of subjects, both in academia and in the business community. He has written dozens of scientific articles and is holder of some twenty patents.

Designer and researcher
Buxton is a designer and researcher who involves himself with the human aspects of technology. In his work we particularly see a keen interest in the use of technology to support creative activities, such as design, music and films. He is an ardent advocate of the importance of human values, possibilities and culture in the design, implementation and use of new products and technologies.
Since 2007 Bill Buxton has been a member of the Advisory Council of the TU/e Department of Industrial Design. His research fits in well with research into man-system interaction within the Departments of Industrial Design and Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences of TU/e.
 
Visionary
Honorary promoter prof. Kees Overbeeke calls Bill Buxton a visionary. “He has started major developments in human-computer interaction, such as transparent, graspable and ‘multi-touch interfaces’. His inventions are not merely academic, but are also applied by companies like Silicon Graphics, Alias/Wavefront and Microsoft. This is all the more conspicuous when you consider that he was actually trained to be a musician. This training also took him to the Netherlands and his command of Dutch is still admirable. Buxton in 2007 published a remarkable and highly successful book about design, entitled ‘Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design’. This book also includes work by Caroline Hummels, who is affiliated with Industrial Design”, says prof. Overbeeke.