University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Grainger College of Engineering
Computer Science

Gene Golub

2018 Distinguished Achievement Memorial Award

Professor Gene Golub
Gene Golub

Well known for creating algorithms and software that allowed researchers to run large engineering and scientific calculations effectively on computers, Gene Golub (BS Math '53, MA Stats '54, PhD Math '59) was a cofounder of the Stanford University Computer Science Department. He served on the Stanford faculty from 1962 until his death in 2007.

In 1964, Golub created the singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithm. It is used in a variety of applications, including search engines, signal processing, and data analysis.

Golub was a member of both the National Academy of Science and the National Academy of Engineering.

His contributions to the engineering and computer science fields were internationally recognized, with 10 honorary degrees from institutions around the world. He also co-authored 18 books and about 250 papers.

The Gene Golub Fellowship, Franz Hohn and J.P. Nash Scholarship, and Gene Golub Computer Science Visionary Scholarship Fund were established because of his love for students and desire to support them. He also established the Paul and Cynthia Saylor Professorship in Computer Science in honor of his longstanding friendship with the Saylors.