Lynn Conway is Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Emerita, at the University of Michigan. After earning her BS and MSEE from Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, Lynn joined IBM Research. There she made foundational contributions to computer architecture, including invention of multiple-out-of-order dynamic instruction scheduling. Fired by IBM as she underwent gender transition in 1968, Lynn secretly started her career over again in 'stealth mode', soon becoming a computer architect at Memorex.Joining Xerox Palo Alto Research Center in 1973, Lynn invented scalable MOS design rules and elegantly simplified methods for silicon chip design, became principal author of the famous Mead-Conway text, and pioneered at M.I.T. the teaching of these methods – launching a world-wide revolution in VLSI microelectronics design in the late 1970’s. Lynn also invented an internet-based e-commerce infrastructure for rapid chip-prototyping in 1979, spawning the modern "fabless design" plus "silicon foundry" business model for semiconductor design and manufacturing. Institutionalized by DARPA, the resulting 'MOSIS' system enabled rapid development of thousands of chip designs, triggering a wave of major startups in the 80’s and beyond.As Assistant Director for Strategic Computing at DARPA, Lynn next crafted the meta-architecture and led the planning of the Strategic Computing Initiative, a major 1980's effort to expand the technology-base for modern intelligent-weapons systems.Lynn joined the University of Michigan in 1985 as Professor of EECS and Associate Dean of Engineering, where she continued her distinguished career. Now Emerita, she lives with her engineer husband Charlie on their 24 acre homestead in rural Michigan. They’ve been together for 34 years.Specialties: Computer science, systems architecture, electrical engineering, microelectronic design, research management, engineering education, human rights advocacy.