Tibor Szentiványi

During his university studies, he was a demonstrator at the Department of Mathematics of the Budapest University of Technology. Later, he worked at the Office Machine Experimental Company; here he participated in the development of the first Hungarian electronic data processing machine, for which he was responsible for creating an original technical construction.

After graduating from university, he participated in the Cybernetics Research Group (KKCS) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in the creation of the first domestic electronic computer, the M-3. He is credited with fitting the magnetic tape unit to the M-3.

From 1963 he became the technical director of the Computing Center of the Ministry of Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering (KGM).

In 1965, together with four colleagues, he founded the Information Processing Laboratory (Infelor), of which he was the chief engineer and later scientific advisor.

From 1991, he was a senior consultant at the Hungarian Telecommunications Company (MATÁV) until his retirement in 1997.

Meanwhile, he worked at the Elliott company in 1963 and at the London-based ICL company in 1967. In 1975, he was a visiting researcher in Laxenburg near Vienna.

He was one of the initiators of Hungarian software export.

In 1968, he was one of the founders of the Hungarian Computer Science and Engineering Association; he was also a member of the board. From 1968, he was the chairman of the Computer Engineering (hardware) department, from 1990, the Computer Engineering department, and then until 1995, the successor department of Telecommunications and Teledata Processing. Between 1977 and 1989, he initiated and organized the COMNET conferences.
Between 1986 and 2005, he was a member of the International Council for Computer Communication (Washington, DC).

He has been promoting computer science and giving lectures at professional conferences throughout his life. He is the author and editor of more than 100 articles, professional studies, conference publications and books. In 1994, he published the first authentic account of the beginnings of computer science in Hungary in the journal Nature.

He has been regularly involved in social work in the Association of Technical and Natural Science Associations (MTESZ) since 1959. From 1961, he operated a Central Cybernetics Specialist Club at the József Attila Gymnasium in Budapest for two years, which was attended by nearly 30 students from 14 gymnasiums in Budapest. In 1971, he initiated the teaching of the subject Digital Computer Systems Engineering at the Institute of Continuing Education in Engineering.
He was a guest lecturer at several universities in his country; he even taught cultural history.

Awards: Order of Merit for Work; Silver Core Award (IFIP); MTESZ Award (Association of Technical and Natural Science Associations); Order for National Defense; Áron Kiss Award (Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County); Neumann Award (NJSZT, 1977); Lifetime Achievement Award (NJSZT, 2001).