Paul Baran | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 29, 1926 |
| Died | March 26, 2011 (aged 84) Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Citizenship | Poland, United States |
| Alma mater | Drexel University (BS) University of California, Los Angeles (MS) |
| Known for | Packet switching |
| Spouse |
Evelyn Murphy Baran (m. 1955) |
| Awards | IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal (1990) Computer History Museum Fellow (2005) Marconi Prize (1991) National Medal of Technology and Innovation (2007) National Inventors Hall of Fame |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | RAND Corporation |
Paul Baran (born Pesach Baran /ˈbærən/; April 29, 1926 – March 26, 2011) was an American-Jewish engineer who was a pioneer in the development of computer networks. He was one of the two independent inventors of packet switching, which is today the dominant basis for data communications in computer networks worldwide, and went on to start several companies and develop other technologies that are an essential part of modern digital communication.