Who is Julian Lombardi?

I'm one of six principal architects of the Croquet Project who, along with my colleagues Alan Kay, David A. Smith, David P. Reed, Andreas Raab, and Mark P. McCahill, am involved in overseeing the project's implementation. I'm a former biology professor, author, and award-winning software designer with an interest in developing software systems and GUIs that support the gathering, representation, processing, and dissemination of information that is distributed across many individuals. I bring my background in developmental and evolutionary biology and in the study of emergent properties in biological systems to the work I do in information technology. I have also long been fascinated by the transformative potential of new interface technologies. In the late 1980s, and while a professor at The University of North Carolina, I began developing instructional software for biological and medical education. In 1995, I combined my interests in information technology and biology to design and create social computing systems. Based on this work, I was awarded a patent on technologies and processes for visualizing and organizing location-based information and in 1999, I founded ViOS, Inc., a company that developed 3D software for knowledge management and social interaction. There, I served as ViOS's Chief Creative Officer and Chief Software Architect. Over an 18 month period, I oversaw the successful completion of the company's core technology and the company successfully launched its product with an industry award-winning interface. In 2000, I was the subject of a feature article in Success Magazine, was identified as one of the nation's "Thought Leaders" in information technology by Access Magazine Online and the ViOS product won Best of Show at the Upside Magazine's prestigious Launch! event. I provide IT consulting services for companies and institutions in the public and private sectors and also manage a software R&D group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I help define and lead university-wide initiatives that seek to transform teaching and learning through the use of technology. Croquet is one such initiative...