# Leaf Petersen

> Ph.D. Carnegie Mellon University 2005

**Wikidata**: [Q102348895](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q102348895)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/leaf-petersen

## Summary
Leaf Petersen is an American-trained computer scientist and software engineer with a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University (2005). He has worked in industry as an engineer at Intel (2004–2013) and at Google (from 2014) and is the author of research indexed in DBLP.

## Biography
- Education: Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University (2005); undergraduate degree from Williams College (institution listed)
- Known for: Ph.D. in computer science (Carnegie Mellon University, 2005); industry engineering roles at Intel and Google; published research indexed in DBLP
- Employer(s): Intel (2004–2013); Google (from 2014)
- Field(s): Computer science; software engineering
- Occupation: Computer scientist; software engineer
- Doctoral advisors: Robert Harper; Karl Fredrick Crary
- Website / CV: https://www.leafpetersen.com; curriculum vitae at https://www.leafpetersen.com/leaf/cv.pdf
- Identifiers: DBLP author ID 96/5317; Mathematics Genealogy Project ID 133400; Google Knowledge Graph ID /g/11gr9797n7; LinkedIn profile id: leafpetersen
- Languages: English (native)

## Contributions
Leaf Petersen completed a Ph.D. in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in 2005 under the supervision of Robert Harper and Karl Fredrick Crary. His academic output is indexed in DBLP (author id 96/5317), indicating peer-reviewed publications in computer science. Petersen’s curriculum vitae documents a sustained period in industry engineering roles: he was employed at Intel from 2004 until 2013, and he joined Google in 2014. These positions place him at the intersection of applied software engineering and research-driven systems work. His academic lineage is recorded in the Mathematics Genealogy Project (ID 133400), tying his doctoral work to a recognized advisory lineage. Petersen maintains a professional website and a public CV (https://www.leafpetersen.com/leaf/cv.pdf) that enumerate his publications, career timeline, and professional identifiers. Collectively, these documented activities — a Carnegie Mellon Ph.D. (2005), industry engineering roles at major technology companies, and a track record of publications indexed in DBLP — form the concrete record of his contributions to computer science and software engineering.

## FAQs
### Q: Who is Leaf Petersen?
A: Leaf Petersen is a computer scientist and software engineer who earned a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in 2005 and has worked at Intel (2004–2013) and Google (from 2014).

### Q: Where did Leaf Petersen get his Ph.D. and who advised him?
A: He received his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in 2005. His doctoral advisors were Robert Harper and Karl Fredrick Crary.

### Q: Where has he worked in industry?
A: Petersen worked at Intel from 2004 to 2013 and has been employed at Google since 2014, according to his published CV.

### Q: Does he have published research?
A: Yes. His publications are indexed in DBLP under author id 96/5317, and his academic record appears in the Mathematics Genealogy Project (ID 133400).

### Q: Where can I find more information about his work?
A: His website and curriculum vitae are published at https://www.leafpetersen.com and https://www.leafpetersen.com/leaf/cv.pdf.

## Why They Matter
Leaf Petersen’s profile combines formal academic training at a leading computer science program with extensive industry engineering experience at two major technology companies. The Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon (2005) situates him within a rigorous research tradition and connects him to advisors Robert Harper and Karl Fredrick Crary, both established figures in programming languages and type theory; that academic lineage is recorded in the Mathematics Genealogy Project. Petersen’s tenure at Intel (2004–2013) and subsequent employment at Google (from 2014) placed him in environments where research and large-scale software engineering intersect. His publications, catalogued in DBLP, provide a public, citable record of technical contributions to computer science. The availability of a detailed curriculum vitae and professional website makes his work and career traceable for peers, collaborators, and organizations. Without Petersen’s combined academic and industry roles, there would be one fewer researcher-engineer operating at the boundary between academic computer science and applied software systems in large technology organizations. His documented outputs and positions contribute to the continuity of research-to-practice pathways in the field.

## Notable For
- Earning a Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University (2005).
- Industry engineering career at Intel (2004–2013).
- Employment at Google beginning in 2014.
- Doctoral advisors: Robert Harper and Karl Fredrick Crary.
- Publications indexed in DBLP (author id 96/5317) and academic record in the Mathematics Genealogy Project (ID 133400).

## Body

### Education
- Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University, 2005. Doctoral advisors: Robert Harper and Karl Fredrick Crary.
- Undergraduate education: Williams College (institution listed on CV).

### Career — Industry
- Intel
  - Employer from 2004 to 2013 (dates cited in curriculum vitae).
  - Role listed as software engineer / computer scientist (occupation entries).
- Google
  - Employed beginning in 2014 (start date cited in structured employment data).
  - Role listed as computer scientist / software engineer.

### Research and Publications
- DBLP author identifier: 96/5317. This indicates one or more published research works in computer science proceedings or journals.
- Mathematics Genealogy Project ID: 133400. Records doctoral degree and advisor relationships.
- Ph.D. year: 2005 (Carnegie Mellon University).

### Professional Identifiers and Online Presence
- Personal website: https://www.leafpetersen.com
- Curriculum vitae: https://www.leafpetersen.com/leaf/cv.pdf (English)
- LinkedIn personal profile id: leafpetersen
- Google Knowledge Graph ID: /g/11gr9797n7

### Languages and Other Data
- Native language / languages spoken: English (listed in structured data).
- Occupation tags: computer scientist; software engineer.

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Leaf Petersen",
  "jobTitle": "Computer scientist",
  "worksFor": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Google"
  },
  "alumniOf": [
    {
      "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
      "name": "Carnegie Mellon University"
    },
    {
      "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
      "name": "Williams College"
    }
  ],
  "knowsAbout": [
    "Computer science",
    "Software engineering"
  ],
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.leafpetersen.com",
    "https://www.leafpetersen.com/leaf/cv.pdf"
  ],
  "description": "Leaf Petersen is a computer scientist and software engineer with a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University (2005) who has worked at Intel and Google."
}

## References

1. Mathematics Genealogy Project
2. [Source](https://www.leafpetersen.com/leaf/cv.pdf)
3. LinkedIn