# About
I am the Professor of [Planetary Computing](https://anil.recoil.org/projects/plancomp) at the [University of Cambridge Computer Science](https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk) department, where I co-lead the the [Energy & Environment Group](https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk/research/eeg) and am a member of the [Systems Research Group](https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/research/srg/). I obtained my [PhD](https://anil.recoil.org/projects/melange) from the [University of Cambridge](https://www.cam.ac.uk) in 2003 and my BEng in [Information Systems Engineering](https://web.archive.org/web/19971013173549/http://www.ee.ic.ac.uk/ise/calendar_entry.html) from [Imperial College](https://www.ee.ic.ac.uk) in 1999. I [research](https://anil.recoil.org/projects) topics related to computer [systems](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/systems) and [programming languages](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/fp), with a focus on applying the insights to global [\##conservation](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/conservation) and [\##biodiversity](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/biodiversity). I am on the management [committee](https://www.cambridgeconservation.org/about/people/professor-anil-madhavapeddy/) of the [Cambridge Conservation Initiative](https://conservation.cam.ac.uk) where I co-direct [4C](https://4c.cst.cam.ac.uk) and the [Centre for Earth Observation](https://eo.conservation.cam.ac.uk), and collaborate with wonderful colleagues from Plant Sciences, Zoology, and Economics and NGOs such as [UNEP-WCMC](https://www.unep-wcmc.org/en) and the [IUCN](https://iucn.org). I have held a [JM Keynes Fellowship](https://www.cshss.cam.ac.uk/research-info/j-m-keynes-fellowship-fund/j-m-keynes-fellows) since 2022, towards my work on combining computer science with [\##economics](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/economics). I [teach](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/teaching) computer science and am a [Fellow](https://www.pem.cam.ac.uk/college/master-and-fellows/list-fellows/professor-anil-madhavapeddy) at [Pembroke College](https://pem.cam.ac.uk) where I am the Director of Studies in Computer Science. I primarily lecture undergraduate courses such as the 1A [Foundations of Computer Science](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/focs), 1B [Software & Security Engineering](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/swseng) and II Cloud Computing. I work with a merry band of MPhil and PhD students and always enjoy discussing new [ideas](https://anil.recoil.org/ideas) that may change the world for the better, or just be fun\! The 2nd Edition of my book [Real World OCaml](https://realworldocaml.org) was published in 2022 by Cambridge University Press and is available freely [online](https://dev.realworldocaml.org) and in [print](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/real-world-ocaml-functional-programming-for-the-masses/052E4BCCB09D56A0FE875DD81B1ED571). I [hack](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/opensource) on open-source software and am a long-time contributor to projects ranging from [OCaml](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/ocaml) ([↗](https://ocaml.org)), [OpenBSD](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/openbsd) ([↗](https://openbsd.org)), [Docker](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/docker) ([↗](https://docker.com)) and [Xen](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/xen) ([↗](https://xen.org)) and I co-founded the [MirageOS](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/mirageos) ([↗](https://mirageos.org)) [unikernel](https://anil.recoil.org/projects/unikernels) framework. I've been fortunate to have some of these projects rank among some of the most widely [deployed](https://anil.recoil.org/papers/2025-docker-icfp) pieces of free software in the world, and others that have had tremendous positive impact on the [quality](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/acm-sigplan-award) of computer systems. I [startup](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/startups) companies to make sure my work sees impact in the real world. I've co-founded [Unikernel Systems](https://anil.recoil.org/projects/unikernels), [High Energy Magic](https://anil.recoil.org/projects/ubiqinteraction), [Segfault](https://segfault.systems/), [Tarides](https://tarides.com), [Parsimoni](https://parsimoni.co/) and worked for [Docker](https://docker.com), [Citrix](https://citrix.com), [XenSource](https://anil.recoil.org/projects/xen), [Intel Research](https://anil.recoil.org/projects/ubiqinteraction), [Fraser Research](https://fraserresearch.org), [Imperial College](https://www.doc.ic.ac.uk), and [NASA MVACS](https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/mars/msp98/lander/mvacs.html). I occasionally sit on boards, such as [Tarides](https://tarides.com) (2019-) the [Tezos Foundation](https://tezos.foundation) ([2021](https://tezos.foundation/tf-personnel-update-feb24/)\-[2024](https://tezos.foundation/tezos-foundation-personnel-update-2/)) and [Segfault Systems](https://segfault.systems) (2020-), but my current focus is on conservation via charities such as [Canopy PACT](https://canopypact.uk). Interested students are welcome to get in touch informally, but all applications must go through the [department process](https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk/admissions/phd). You may find my [research](https://anil.recoil.org/projects), [papers](https://anil.recoil.org/papers), [talks](https://anil.recoil.org/talks) and [ideas](https://anil.recoil.org/ideas) helpful background material before getting in touch. I'm extremely unlikely to respond to LLM-generated requests for internships, of which I now get dozens per week. I am signed up to the [Keshav declaration](https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk/research/eeg/declaration) on the necessity of computer scientists responding to the urgent [planetary crisis](https://anil.recoil.org/tags/climate). I would really love to see a [pika](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pika) in real life. --- Canonical: https://anil.recoil.org