In Memory of Doug Tygar
Professor Doug Tygar passed away unexpectedly on January 16, 2020.
Doug was a valued community member, teacher, and researcher. His work made unique and significant contributions to the fields of usable computer security, cryptography, privacy, and digital rights management. As a colleague, his sharp sense of humor, infectious laugh, and encyclopedic knowledge of all things Berkeley are irreplaceable. He will be sorely missed.
We invite you to share your memories of and tributes to Doug Tygar.
Monica Chew
Doug is one of those people who make an indelible impression, even in the briefest meeting. He was my PhD advisor for 5 years, so had plenty of time to make an impression on me. His incredible ability to weave a narrative arc served him and his students well. After graduating, I ran into Doug at a conference -- he was wearing a familiar Kangol hat and used 'grep' and 'pick' to find an email that he wanted to share with me. I lost touch with him for about a decade, then suddenly he showed up at an album release party (my debut recording after becoming a full-time musician), geeky as ever. Doug could have been a music critic, a movie reviewer, a philosopher, a professor in any number of fields. Most of all he was a perpetual student in all things that made his world more interesting. I am glad to have known him.
January 23, 2020
Sadia Afroz
Doug was my mentor during my postdoc at UC Berkeley. The first time I met him as a doe-eyed grad student, too afraid to talk with anyone, I told him how his papers influenced me. He replied, “Thanks! But praising an author for his past work is like praising a duck for its tasty meat. The duck won’t be able to do it again.” That definitely wasn’t true for him as his work was way ahead of time, but his humor and humility made me feel welcomed to talk with him anytime, which had a profound impact in my life. I will miss him deeply.
January 23, 2020
Vivian Phan
Professor Tygar taught one of my favorite classes at Berkeley and was always going out of his way to make sure his students had the opportunity to learn and explore outside of class, whether it was developing our cybersecurity skills on real companies, or simply getting to talk to representatives from industry and other schools. As a mentor and advisor he was entirely supportive and always had my back whenever any problems arose.
Professor Tygar was an incredible thinker, a creative teacher, and a wonderful person. He will be greatly missed.
Professor Tygar was an incredible thinker, a creative teacher, and a wonderful person. He will be greatly missed.
January 22, 2020
Toshiro Nishimura
Doug was my thesis advisor and professor for several courses. He had this quirky and dorky sense of humor that always made me laugh. Great guy, I will miss him.
January 22, 2020
Sauvik Das
Doug was the external member of my thesis committee. I remember thinking, before I had ever spoken to him, that it wouldn’t be easy to convince him to take a meeting with me—he was this giant of the field, and I was just some grad student he had never heard of. Still, I shot my shot and sent him an email.
I was stunned with how generous he was with his time. He was always punctual in responding to administrative requests, in providing me with poignant feedback on my dissertation, in writing me recommendation letters for faculty job applications. When I was on the job market, he went out of his way to point out opportunities that might be of interest.
Thank you, Doug. You had real impact. I'll think of you when I think of how to be a good mentor to the next generation.
I was stunned with how generous he was with his time. He was always punctual in responding to administrative requests, in providing me with poignant feedback on my dissertation, in writing me recommendation letters for faculty job applications. When I was on the job market, he went out of his way to point out opportunities that might be of interest.
Thank you, Doug. You had real impact. I'll think of you when I think of how to be a good mentor to the next generation.
January 22, 2020
Jean Camp
People don’t think, “Doug Tygar feminist icon.” But when you look at who he advised, the impact he has had, as well as how he supported me & Addie, there is credit due. He was woke before woke itself awakened.
I was in grad school at CMU, not the most famously welcoming place then, when I had Addie Camp. Addie was born in May. Doug used his own unrestricted funds to provide for me an entire summer of maternity leave. Grad students still do not have this. He was immensely supportive.
And then, when I graduated, he told me that he had not thought I could do it. But he never showed a moment of doubt to me until after not only defense, but actual commencement, when he was laughing at his own surprise. Don’t doubt that sometimes he made me crazy, but that is the essential nature of the advising and mentoring relationship. So while he was honest, he was not brutally honest. He was betting that he was wrong when he provided me with monetary, academic, and mentoring support.
I do not know how many people at his level not only would, but emotionally could do that for two years.
He made a real difference. I am one of many people whose lives he changed.
I have had the opportunity to pay this forward and told my grad student who to thank for setting this standard of advisor support. She sent him a nice gracious note thanking him. Apparently this confused him, why would someone thank him for setting such a high standard, why would that result in gratitude? High standards were Doug's default.
Anyway I am sorry he will not read this.
I was in grad school at CMU, not the most famously welcoming place then, when I had Addie Camp. Addie was born in May. Doug used his own unrestricted funds to provide for me an entire summer of maternity leave. Grad students still do not have this. He was immensely supportive.
And then, when I graduated, he told me that he had not thought I could do it. But he never showed a moment of doubt to me until after not only defense, but actual commencement, when he was laughing at his own surprise. Don’t doubt that sometimes he made me crazy, but that is the essential nature of the advising and mentoring relationship. So while he was honest, he was not brutally honest. He was betting that he was wrong when he provided me with monetary, academic, and mentoring support.
I do not know how many people at his level not only would, but emotionally could do that for two years.
He made a real difference. I am one of many people whose lives he changed.
I have had the opportunity to pay this forward and told my grad student who to thank for setting this standard of advisor support. She sent him a nice gracious note thanking him. Apparently this confused him, why would someone thank him for setting such a high standard, why would that result in gratitude? High standards were Doug's default.
Anyway I am sorry he will not read this.
January 21, 2020
Jyri Virkki
Very sad to hear. Doug was a wonderful professor and project advisor (CMU, 92-93). Will be missed.
January 20, 2020
Shanghua Teng
I came with Gary Miller to CMU in 1988, a couple of years after Doug arrived at CMU as an assistant professor. But I saw him earlier in 1986 when he came to USC for a faculty interview. He left a strong impression to Ph.D. students of my days because at his interview talk, he brilliant handled the hardest interview question from Seymour Ginsburg, --- a regular question that tripped many candidates of 80s who interviewed at USC --- "Which part of your co-authored paper(s) is your contribution." Doug answered with skill, humor, and charm beyond his age.
I did my Major (remember the Major and Minor of our days at CMU) under the guidance of Doug, who had been instrumental to my Ph.D. progress at CMU. He had always been generous with time and advice.
He will be deeply missed!
I did my Major (remember the Major and Minor of our days at CMU) under the guidance of Doug, who had been instrumental to my Ph.D. progress at CMU. He had always been generous with time and advice.
He will be deeply missed!
January 20, 2020
Dawn Song
Doug was an extremely caring and supportive advisor to me and always encouraged me to be bold in my intellectual exploration. He was always there when I most needed him. Aside from academic matters, Doug also went the extra step to help with my personal growth, e.g., by introducing me to the Berkeley music scene and helping me navigate cultural differences as a foreign student. Doug was also instrumental in building up the security group at Berkeley. Words are not enough to express our deep loss. His legacy will be continued.
January 20, 2020
Steve Weber
The world isn't quite the same without Doug. He was strong-willed and flexible; passionate and disciplined; committed and open; all at the same time. He knew what mattered to him and he stood up for it, but he never denied anyone around him exactly the same freedoms and rights. Disagreeing and arguing with him was as good or better than being on the same page -- he'd push you hard and it wasn't always fun, but I felt like he made the people around him coming from a different world (like me) better scholars and more sensitive to the mindsets and models of his discipline. He was an iconic I-school person.
And then, after a strong argument or two, we'd joke around a little about this or that Yiddish-ism.
I'm going to miss him a ton.
And then, after a strong argument or two, we'd joke around a little about this or that Yiddish-ism.
I'm going to miss him a ton.
January 20, 2020