| Experimental Computer Scientist |
I regard myself as an Experimental Computer Scientist. It is probably redundant to observe (but I shall do so just for the record) that as such I am not comfortable being classified as a "kind of" mathematician nor really as an Engineer though I am closer to the research approach of Engineering. The essential method of Experimental Computer Science (ECS) is to built artefacts and then evaluate them experimentally. As such my research differs from that conducted in related fields such as Information Systems or Theoretical Computer Science. A salient feature, that has been well documented over the years, is that ECS results are mostly published in, very strictly and competitively reviewed, conferences. The review procedure is frequently blind and occasionally employs meta-reviewers to check on the reviews (see “Academic Careers for Experimental Computer Scientists and Engineers”, US National Research Council; ISBN: 0-309-58568-6, available from the National Academies Press). |