Calvin C. Newport (born 1982) is an American nonfiction author and associate professor of computer science at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Background and education

Cal Newport was born June 23, 1982. He completed his undergraduate studies at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 2004 and received a Ph.D. in

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

from

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

in 2009 under

Nancy Lynch Nancy Ann Lynch (born January 19, 1948) is a mathematician, a theorist, and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is the NEC Professor of Software Science and Engineering in the EECS department and heads the "Theory of D ...

. He was a post-doctoral associate in the MIT computer science department from 2009-2011. His grandfather, John Newport, was a Baptist minister and theologian.

Career

Newport joined

as an assistant professor of computer science in 2011 and was granted tenure in 2017. His work focuses on

distributed algorithms A distributed algorithm is an algorithm designed to run on computer hardware constructed from interconnected processors. Distributed algorithms are used in different application areas of distributed computing, such as telecommunications, scientific ...

in challenging networking scenarios and incorporates the study of

communications system A communications system or communication system is a collection of individual telecommunications networks, transmission systems, relay stations, tributary stations, and terminal equipment usually capable of interconnection and interoperati ...

s in nature. Newport is currently Provost's Distinguished Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at

and the author of eight books.

Attention Management

Newport started the ''Study Hacks'' blog in 2007 where he writes about "how to perform productive, valuable and meaningful work in an increasingly distracted digital age". Newport coined the term "deep work" in his book ''Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World'' (2016), which refers to studying for focused chunks of time without

distraction Distraction is the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information. Distraction is caused by: the lack of ability to pay attention ...

s such as email and social media. He challenges the belief that participation in

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

is important for career capital. In 2017, he began advocating for "digital

minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

." In 2021, he began referring to the role

email Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...

and

chat Chat or chats may refer to: Communication * Conversation, particularly casual * Online chat, text message communication over the Internet in real-time * Synchronous conferencing, a formal term for online chat * SMS chat, a form of text messagin ...

play in what he calls "the hyperactive hive mind".

Books

*''How to Win at College'' (2005) *''How to Become a Straight-A Student'' (2006) *''How to Be a High-School Superstar'' (2010) *''So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion In The Quest For Work You Love'' (2012) *''Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World'' (2016) *''Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World'' (2019) *''The Time-Block Planner'' (2020) *''A World Without Email '' (2021)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newport, Cal 1982 births 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American bloggers American computer scientists American self-help writers Dartmouth College alumni Georgetown University faculty Living people Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni American male non-fiction writers