CIO Symposium Contributor

Bio

Dr. Tom Leighton co-founded Akamai Technologies in 1998, and served as Akamai’s Chief Scientist for 14 years before becoming Chief Executive. Prior to his role as CEO, Dr. Leighton served as a Professor of Applied Mathematics at MIT and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). As one of the world's preeminent authorities on algorithms for network applications, Dr. Leighton's work behind establishing Akamai was based on recognizing that a solution to freeing up Web congestion could be found in applied mathematics and algorithms. During the course of his career, he has served on dozens of government, industrial and academic review committees. From 2003 to 2005, he served on the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC), during which time he chaired the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity. He has published more than 100 research papers and holds numerous patents involving content delivery, Internet protocols, cryptography, and digital rights management. Dr. Leighton graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a B.S. in Engineering and received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from MIT.