Established in 2005 through a sequence of gifts eventually totaling $750,000 from Rob Short and Emer Dooley
Rob Short and Emer Dooley have been tremendous friends of the Allen School and of the University of Washington in many ways over many years.
In 2005, Rob and Emer established the Short-Dooley Career Development Professorship with a gift of $500,000. Appreciation of the principal and a subsequent gift of $250,000 enabled its conversion to the Short-Dooley Professorship in 2019.
Robert Short grew up in Ireland, but moved to the United States to work on computer system design. Rob received his Master’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Washington in 1987, and during the course of his studies rediscovered the value of having a world-class University in the region. Rob was lucky enough to be a member of the original Microsoft Windows NT team and worked with some of the best people in the industry.
Emer Dooley graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering and a Master’s in Computer Engineering from the University of Limerick, Ireland. She moved to Seattle after working eight years as a hardware designer at Digital Equipment Corporation. Her involvement with the University of Washington began with an MBA in 1992, followed by a Ph.D. in 2000.
Rob and Emer believe strongly in the role of outstanding faculty. They want future generations of students to have the opportunity to work with, learn from, and be inspired by exceptional professors, preparing them to make an impact.
Holders of the Short-Dooley Professorship
Steve Seitz (as a Career Development Professorship), 2005-2008
James Landay (as a Career Development Professorship), 2009-2014
Yoshi Kohno (as a Career Development Professorship), 2014-2017
Arvind Kirshnamurthy, 2020-present