PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Edmund M. Clarke

Also known as Edmund Melson Clarke, Ed Clarke

Edmund Clarke was a Carnegie Mellon computer scientist whose model checking work, a method for formally verifying hardware and software designs, earned him a share of the 2007 ACM Turing Award. He studied mathematics at the University of Virginia and earned a Cornell doctorate in computer science in 1976. In 1981 he and Allen Emerson published papers that established model checking, and Carnegie Mellon hired him in 1982. The Conference on Automated Deduction honored him in 2008 with its Herbrand Award for distinguished contributions to automated reasoning. He died of COVID-19 in 2020, after a long illness.

Works
297
Citations
31,753
h-index
71

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1945–1968

    Degrees in mathematics

    Born in 1945, he studies mathematics at the University of Virginia and earns a master's degree from Duke University in 1968.

  2. 1976

    A Cornell doctorate

    He switches to computer science and earns a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1976.

  3. 1978–1981

    Model checking at Harvard

    He begins teaching computer science at Harvard in 1978. In 1981 he and Allen Emerson publish papers that establish model checking, a method for formally verifying hardware and software designs.

  4. 1982–1995

    Professor at Carnegie Mellon

    Carnegie Mellon hires him in 1982. In 1995 he becomes the first recipient of the FORE Systems Professorship.

  5. 2005–2007

    A Turing Award

    The National Academy of Engineering elects him in 2005. In 2007 he shares the ACM Turing Award with E. Allen Emerson and Joseph Sifakis.

  6. 2008–2015

    A University Professorship

    In 2008 he is named a University Professor, CMU's highest faculty honor, and receives the Conference on Automated Deduction's Herbrand Award for distinguished contributions to automated reasoning. He retires in 2015.

  7. 2014

    The Bower Award

    In 2014 the Franklin Institute presents him its Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science.

  8. 2020

    A death from COVID-19

    He dies of COVID-19 in 2020, after a long illness.

Sources and credits

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  1. Read "Memorial Tributes: Volume 24" at NAP.edu nationalacademies.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. Edmund M. Clarke - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. Edmund Clarke Pioneered Methods For Detecting Software, Hardware Errors - News - Carnegie Mellon University cmu.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. Edmund Melson Clarke, Creator of Model Checking, Dies at 75 - IEEE Spectrum spectrum.ieee.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. ACM Turing Award Honors Founders of Automatic Verification Technology That Enables Faster, More Reliable Designs | UT Austin Computer Science cs.utexas.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.