Meet Our People

SRI's innovative thinking depends directly on the people who work here. Meet members of our team in Computing and Engineering, Chemistry, Physics and Materials, Drug Discovery, Drug Development and Health, Economics and Education, Environment and Energy, Business Development, and Administration and Corporate Activities, and learn why they joined SRI—you may discover that you would like to join the team, too. Visit Careers @ SRI for descriptions of current openings.

Meet Grit Denker, Senior Computer Scientist, Computer Science Laboratory

Focus at SRI:
Nowadays, computer-based systems have taken over critical functionality in military and civil applications. Given the pervasiveness and complexity of these systems it is important to base decisions about their adequacy, security, and reliability on solid mathematical facts. Most of the projects that I am involved in apply a variety of formal, mathematical tools to facilitate new system features for which one can prove desired properties. This rather general theme can take on many faces, from applications in wireless devices, to networking, to new directions for the Internet.

Day in the Life at SRI:
My job includes a mix of technical and managerial tasks, therefore, I either spend time meeting with colleagues about technical matters, or I look for new business opportunities and brainstorm on novel ideas. And of course, as do most of us at SRI, I spend a good amount of time conversing or collaborating with clients and colleagues via email, and researching the latest trends and business needs online.

Before SRI:
Before joining SRI, I was an assistant professor at the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany. I worked in the Information System Department, conducting research on object-oriented databases and teaching various undergraduate and graduate level courses.

Academics:
Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, Mathematics, Dipl-Math., 1991 and Computer Science, Dr. rer. nat., 1995

Why SRI?
I like SRI because of the many excellent people that work here and who strive to make positive changes in the world through their work. This enthusiasm carries over to others and makes SRI an extraordinary place. I also love the variety of research areas in which we are involved. These days, more and more projects are interdisciplinary—I often only have to look next door to find an expert on a subject matter about which I would like to learn.

What keeps me at SRI is the freedom to choose the topics and the teams to which I would like to contribute. One can work on almost anything that a researcher’s heart desires—within reasonable bounds—as long as one can find funding for it (right… there is a catch). You do not have to leave SRI to reinvent yourself—you can do it right here if you want to.

Inspiration and Motivation:
I am motivated by curiosity and by the enjoyment of continuous discovery; and I am inspired by wonderful colleagues and collaborators with whom it is a delight to exchange ideas, brainstorm, celebrate achievements, and, last but not least, share jokes on even the driest of topics (yes, you would not believe what we laugh about). 

What has changed in your field since you began your career, and what new or exciting trends are you seeing?
Funding agencies in my field tend to request more end-to-end solutions compared with about 10 years ago, when I joined SRI. While this is sometimes challenging for basic research, it is also exciting to see one’s technology as part of a solution, implemented and demonstrated in the field. In addition, this new trend creates opportunities for people to contribute to big teams through their different skills, including programming, design, organization, management, or marketing.

Another significant change I have witnessed over the last 10 years is the pace at which technology is evolving and being used by people. This rapid pace means that research challenges continuously morph to meet new needs. Many of these needs didn’t even exist just a few years ago; rather, they came into being through a new enabling technology that opened the view to new horizons. This makes the field of computer science so fascinating and keeps it fresh even for those who have been working in it for decades.

Proudest Professional Accomplishment:
I successfully led a project for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) that was technically challenging and demanding from a people-skills perspective. SRI's reasoning technology was used to control the behavior of wireless radios (see http://xg.csl.sri.com). I was also part of DARPA’s DARPA Agent Markup Language (DAML) project that generated fascinating, practical applications for Semantic Web technology.

Languages:

English (I'm always trying to improve it because I am a second language-learner), German (getting worse at it the longer I live in the U.S.), Spanish (just enjoying it and not worrying too much about how good I am at it). 

Away from the Office:
I used to spend my free time working on a never-ending house remodeling project and dancing salsa, but now that I am a mom it's hard to find time for these things. I retreated to teaching my daughter how to use power tools as well as dancing, so that she can join me in those activities as soon as she is old enough. Until then, I am greatly entertained in my free time watching my daughter’s new achievements. I also take classes at Foothill College in child development or other random, interesting courses.

Words of Wisdom for New SRI Team Members:
If you really want to make something happen in the larger context of SRI and its client base, you probably can—just make yourself the champion and go for it. While it might be a bit intimidating in the beginning not to have anyone "hold your hand", it is quite liberating to recognize that, once you have taken the initial steps, there is nobody standing in your way and that you can join others on their paths.