László Varga

He was one of the specialists who started programming on the country's first computer, the M-3 machine of the Cybernetics Research Group (KKCS) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Between 1956 and 1963, he was a scientific associate at the Solid State Physics and Optics Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Between 1963 and 1979, he led projects for the development of large program systems at the Computer Engineering Department of the Central Physical Research Institute (KFKI) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences as a scientific advisor and then as a department head. In 1967, he became a candidate of mathematical sciences.

With this professional experience behind him, he has been a second-year lecturer at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) since 1968. From 1972, he participated in developing the topics of the programming and then the program design mathematics majors.

In 1967 he obtained the title of Candidate of Mathematical Sciences. Since 1977 he has been a Doctor of Mathematical Sciences. Between 1978-1979 he was a visiting researcher at Brown University (USA). Since 1979 he has been a full-time lecturer at ELTE, developing and teaching the material for the subjects of software technology and the theory of programming methods.
Meanwhile, he organized the young team of departmental experts. Between 1982 and 1996, as head of the Department of General Computer Science (ÓSZT) of the Faculty of Natural Sciences (TTK) of ELTE, he was responsible for the development of IT topics; he wrote more than 10 university notes and basic textbooks.

Meanwhile, between 1986 and 1988, he was the deputy dean of the Faculty of Information Technology at ELTE, and between 1993 and 1996, he was a member of the University Council. His work also contributed to the establishment of the independent Faculty of Informatics (IK) at ELTE in 2003, the first among universities of science, of which he was professor emeritus. In 2011, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by ELTE.

Elected representative of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (1994-1997), member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences' Computer Science Committee. He was a member of the editorial boards of one international and three domestic journals.

Awards: Institute First Prize (KFKI); Kalmár Prize (NJSZT, 1979); Lifetime Achievement Award (NJSZT, 2001); József Eötvös Prize (Minister of Education, 2006); Albert Szent-Györgyi Prize (Minister of Education, 1999); Pro Facultate Informatics Prize (ELTE TTK, 2007); Silver Degree of the Order of Merit for Labor (1977); Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (2001), Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (2009).