Daniel Jackson Keynote Speaker

Daniel Jackson is a deputy director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Research lab and an assistant professor of computer science at MIT. He is passionate about helping software designers, and their colleagues understand conceptual clarity and how to achieve it.

Jackson has collaborated on software projects with several prominent organizations, including NASA on air-traffic control, Massachusetts General Hospital on proton therapy, and Toyota on autonomous cars. He travels and speaks widely on design and has addressed global corporate and general audiences. His most recent book, The Essence of Software: Why Concepts Matter for Great Design, presents a revolutionary new theory of software design that establishes a practical and coherent path for anyone—from strategists and marketers to UX designers, architects, and programmers—to create software that is uplifting, dependable, and enjoyable to use.

In addition to his work in computer science and software design, Jackson is also a photographer with an interest in the straight photography style. The MIT Museum commissioned a series of his photographs of MIT laboratories for an exhibit in 2012. Jackson is the son of software engineering researcher Michael A. Jackson, developer of Jackson Structured Programming (JSP), Jackson System Development (JSD), and the Problem Frames Approach.

As a well-respected computer scientist and software designer, Daniel Jackson has a wealth of experience and insights to share with audiences through his speaking engagements. Some possible topics for his talks might include software design principles and best practices, the importance of conceptual clarity in software development, the role of human-centered design in creating functional and enjoyable software, and the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. Jackson has also likely spoken about his work on high-profile projects such as air-traffic control, proton therapy, and autonomous cars, and the insights he has gained through these collaborations. Whether addressing corporate audiences or general audiences, Jackson’s talks are engaging, informative, and thought-provoking.

Jackson received an MA in physics from the University of Oxford in 1984. After working as a software engineer for two years, he returned to academia to study computer science at MIT, where he received an SM in 1988 and a PhD in 1992. Following the completion of his doctorate, he worked as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University until 1997, when he joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT. In 2017, he was made a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery.