CWI’s first Dijkstra Fellows: David Chaum and Guido van Rossum

David Chaum and Guido van Rossum have been awarded the Dijkstra Fellowship by Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI). The Dutch national research institute for mathematics and computer science granted the honorary title for the first time. Chaum “forefather of blockchain” is well known for his groundbreaking work in the area of privacy and cryptology and the development of digital currency. Van Rossum created the world-famous Python programming language almost 30 years ago, when he was working at CWI.

With the Dijkstra Fellowship, CWI aims to recognize the impact the duo’s groundbreaking work had on mathematics and computer science. Besides that, the fellowship is a recognition for the contribution they made to the institution’s reputation as a pioneer in the area of mathematics and computer science. The honorary title is named after Edsger Dijkstra, who was one of the most influential scientists in CWI history by developing the shortest path algorithm – next to other accomplishments.

Chaum is a mathematician, as well as a computer scientist. By setting up the Cryptology research group at CWI in the early 80s, he brought modern cryptology to Europe. He’s internationally recognized as the founder of digital currencies and blockchain technology. Spin-off Digicash emerged from his research work. Chaum developed eCash, the precursor of the bitcoin, under the flag of Digicash.