The Department of Informatics (
Norwegian: ''Institutt for informatikk'') at the
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...
is the oldest and largest department for
informatics
Informatics is the study of computational systems. According to the Association for Computing Machinery, ACM Europe Council and Informatics Europe, informatics is synonymous with computer science and computing as a profession, in which the centra ...
in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The department was in 2017 ranked number 1 in Norway, 3rd in Europe, and 12th in the world in Computer Science and Engineering by
Academic Ranking of World Universities
The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...
.

Famous researchers that have been associated with the department includes
Turing Award
The ACM A. M. Turing Award is an annual prize given by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for contributions of lasting and major technical importance to computer science. It is generally recognized as the highest distinction in the fi ...
winners such as
Kristen Nygaard
Kristen Nygaard (27 August 1926 – 10 August 2002) was a Norwegian computer scientist, programming language pioneer, and politician. Internationally, Nygaard is acknowledged as the co-inventor of object-oriented programming and the programming ...
,
Ole-Johan Dahl
Ole-Johan Dahl (12 October 1931 – 29 June 2002) was a Norwegian computer scientist. Dahl was a professor of computer science at the University of Oslo and is considered to be one of the fathers of Simula and object-oriented programming along wi ...
and
Donald Knuth
Donald Ervin Knuth ( ; born January 10, 1938) is an American computer scientist and mathematician. He is a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He is the 1974 recipient of the ACM Turing Award, informally considered the Nobel Prize of comp ...
.
History
The department was created in 1977, as a merger of Department of Numerical Mathematics at the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Cybernetics at the Department of Physics.
However, the history of computer science at the university goes further back than that. In 1958, the university had received its large machine "FREDERIC", and Harald Keilhau held a programming course for those who needed the machine for their research.
Ernst S. Selmer also gave a lecture on data processing from the mid-fifties, and from the sixties the first competence-giving courses in programming (based on
ALGOL
ALGOL (; short for "Algorithmic Language") is a family of imperative computer programming languages originally developed in 1958. ALGOL heavily influenced many other languages and was the standard method for algorithm description used by the ...
and machine coding) were given by John Midtdal.
In 1968,
Ole-Johan Dahl
Ole-Johan Dahl (12 October 1931 – 29 June 2002) was a Norwegian computer scientist. Dahl was a professor of computer science at the University of Oslo and is considered to be one of the fathers of Simula and object-oriented programming along wi ...
was appointed professor at the Department of Mathematics. At the beginning of the seventies, Dahl developed a course package in computer processing intended for lower grades, and wrote textbooks in
syntax
In linguistics, syntax ( ) is the study of how words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences. Central concerns of syntax include word order, grammatical relations, hierarchical sentence structure (constituenc ...
and
semantics
Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...
in programming languages and in
algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of Rigour#Mathematics, mathematically rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific Computational problem, problems or to perform a computation. Algo ...
s and
data structure
In computer science, a data structure is a data organization and storage format that is usually chosen for Efficiency, efficient Data access, access to data. More precisely, a data structure is a collection of data values, the relationships amo ...
s. One of Dahl's most influential publications at that time was ''Structured Programming'', which was published in 1972 and co-authored with
Edsger W. Dijkstra
Edsger Wybe Dijkstra ( ; ; 11 May 1930 – 6 August 2002) was a Dutch computer scientist, programmer, software engineer, mathematician, and science essayist.
Born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Dijkstra studied mathematics and physics and the ...
and
Tony Hoare
Sir Charles Antony Richard Hoare (; born 11 January 1934), also known as C. A. R. Hoare, is a British computer scientist who has made foundational contributions to programming languages, algorithms, operating systems, formal verification, and ...
.
In 1972,
Rolf Nordhagen became head of the Computing Center at the university. At that time, Nordhagen started international collaborative projects that made important contributions to the foundation of networks and services. His leading role in
UNINETT
Uninett AS is a state-owned company responsible for Norway's National Research and Education Network. The organization develops and operates the national research network in Norway. The center of operations in located at Teknobyen Innovation ...
and
NORDUnet
NORDUnet is an international collaboration between the national research and education networks in the Nordic countries.
Members
The members of NORDUnet are:
* SUNET of Sweden
* UNINETT of Norway
* FUNET of Finland
* Forskningsnettet of D ...
was an apparent preamble for the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
of today. Nordhagen was in 2014 posthumously honored with an admission into the
Internet Hall of Fame
The Internet Hall of Fame is an honorary lifetime achievement award administered by the Internet Society (ISOC) in recognition of individuals who have made significant contributions to the development and advancement of the Internet.
Overview ...
.
From 1972 to 1973,
Donald Knuth
Donald Ervin Knuth ( ; born January 10, 1938) is an American computer scientist and mathematician. He is a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He is the 1974 recipient of the ACM Turing Award, informally considered the Nobel Prize of comp ...
spent a year at the university. Here he was to write the seventh volume in his book series ''
The Art of Computer Programming
''The Art of Computer Programming'' (''TAOCP'') is a comprehensive multi-volume monograph written by the computer scientist Donald Knuth presenting programming algorithms and their analysis. it consists of published volumes 1, 2, 3, 4A, and 4 ...
'', a volume that was to deal with programming languages. However, Knuth had only finished the first two volumes when he came to Oslo, and thus spent the year on the third volume next to teaching. The third volume in the series was published shortly after Knuth returned to
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
in 1972. Knuth's stay in Oslo also led to many from the university being given the opportunity to stay at Stanford.
In the beginning, the newly started Department of Informatics was housed in the Mathematics Building at
Blindern
Blindern is the main campus of the University of Oslo, located in Nordre Aker in Oslo, Norway.
Campus
Most of the departments of the University of Oslo are located at Blindern; other, smaller campuses include Sentrum, Oslo, Sentrum (law), Gaust ...
. However, as there was a great shortage of space, the offices were scattered around on many different floors. After a couple of years, the department was moved to the physics building. However, the space problems persisted, and a process was initiated for the construction of a separate building for informatics. Central to this process were, among others,
Lars Walløe
Lars Walløe (born 20 May 1938) is a Norwegian academic, chemist, physiologist, and scientific adviser to the Norwegian government. He was the head of the Norwegian Delegation to the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission, ...
, who brought with him rector Bjarne Waaler and
Gudmund Harlem
Gudmund Harlem (24 July 1917 – 22 March 1988) was a Norwegian physician and politician for the Labour Party. He was the Norwegian Minister of Social Affairs from 1955 to 1961 and Norwegian Minister of Defence from 1961 to 1965 (except for a ...
of
NTNF on the plans for a new building in Gaustadbekkdalen. The building, now named after
Kristen Nygaard
Kristen Nygaard (27 August 1926 – 10 August 2002) was a Norwegian computer scientist, programming language pioneer, and politician. Internationally, Nygaard is acknowledged as the co-inventor of object-oriented programming and the programming ...
, was completed in 1988, and would house the department, the
Norwegian Computing Center
Norwegian Computing Center (NR, in Norwegian: ''Norsk Regnesentral'') is a private, independent, non-profit research foundation. NR carries out contract research and development in the areas of computing and quantitative methods for a broad range o ...
and the university's center for Information Technology.

In 1983,
Pål Spilling
Pål Spilling (29 October 1934 – 16 January 2018) was a Norwegian Internet pioneer and professor at the University of Oslo and the UNIK Graduate Center at Kjeller in Norway.
He obtained his Candidatus realium, cand.real. degree in physics from t ...
established the first functioning
TCP/IP
The Internet protocol suite, commonly known as TCP/IP, is a framework for organizing the communication protocols used in the Internet and similar computer networks according to functional criteria. The foundational protocols in the suite are ...
-based data network in Norway and Europe. The network connected the computer environments at the universities of Oslo,
Bergen
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo.
By May 20 ...
and
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
, as well as the local network at
Kjeller
Kjeller is a village located near Lillestrøm in the municipality of Lillestrøm, Norway. It is located 25 kilometers north-east of Oslo.
Name
The Norse form of the name was probably ''Tjaldir''. This is then the plural of ''tjald'' n 'tent'. ...
, which in turn ensured connection to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. This was the first local network outside USA to be connected to the American Internet. Spilling along with his colleagues and fellow countrymen Dag Belsnes and
Yngvar Lundh, later ended up on the
list of 33 Internet pioneers in the world that were most significant in the development of basic
Internet-technology. Their names are engraved into the bronze plaque roll of honour "Birth of the Internet" plaque at Stanford university in California. All three also received a
Rosing Honorary Prize for their work on the development of the Internet. Both Spilling and Belsnes worked as professors at the department until their retirement. In 2021, Lundh and Spilling was inducted into the
Internet Hall of Fame
The Internet Hall of Fame is an honorary lifetime achievement award administered by the Internet Society (ISOC) in recognition of individuals who have made significant contributions to the development and advancement of the Internet.
Overview ...
.
Lack of space began to reappear in the early 2000s. In 2005, the ready signal was given to build a new building for computer science, the so-called "ifi2" building. At that time, the department was spread over several locations in Gaustadbekkdalen beyond the informatics building, such as
Forskningsparken. The new building Ole-Johan Dahl's house, named after Norway's first professor of computer science, was opened in 2011. The building is located next to Kristen Nygaard's house,
Norwegian Computing Center
Norwegian Computing Center (NR, in Norwegian: ''Norsk Regnesentral'') is a private, independent, non-profit research foundation. NR carries out contract research and development in the areas of computing and quantitative methods for a broad range o ...
,
Oslo Science Park and
SINTEF
SINTEF (, "The Foundation for Industrial and Technical Research"), headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, is an independent research organization founded in 1950 that conducts contract research and development projects. SINTEF has 2000 employees fr ...
.
Student life

The department has over 15 types of student societies in a variety of different topics, ranging from sports-related to professional associations. One of the most notable societies is Cybernetisk Selskab (CYB), which is the oldest student society at the department, having been established in 1969 and registered through
SiO. CYB operates a
pub
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...
and
café
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...
in the basement of the department, calle
Escape
Escape has since 2012 been run as a café five days a week. In addition, a student pub is held every Friday, as well as various other events such as board game night, whiskey seminars, the Thursday club and theme parties. CYB is also arranging
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...
trips to
Hemsedal
Hemsedal is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Trøym ...
, gala at the department and other types of events for students at the department. Escape was in 2017 named Oslo's best student pub.
Notable people
Some of the notable people associated with the department includes:
*
Kristen Nygaard
Kristen Nygaard (27 August 1926 – 10 August 2002) was a Norwegian computer scientist, programming language pioneer, and politician. Internationally, Nygaard is acknowledged as the co-inventor of object-oriented programming and the programming ...
and
Ole-Johan Dahl
Ole-Johan Dahl (12 October 1931 – 29 June 2002) was a Norwegian computer scientist. Dahl was a professor of computer science at the University of Oslo and is considered to be one of the fathers of Simula and object-oriented programming along wi ...
- Co-inventors of
object-oriented programming
Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of '' objects''. Objects can contain data (called fields, attributes or properties) and have actions they can perform (called procedures or methods and impl ...
, recipients of the 2001
Turing Award
The ACM A. M. Turing Award is an annual prize given by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for contributions of lasting and major technical importance to computer science. It is generally recognized as the highest distinction in the fi ...
.
*
Donald Knuth
Donald Ervin Knuth ( ; born January 10, 1938) is an American computer scientist and mathematician. He is a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He is the 1974 recipient of the ACM Turing Award, informally considered the Nobel Prize of comp ...
- "Father of the
analysis of algorithms
In computer science, the analysis of algorithms is the process of finding the computational complexity of algorithms—the amount of time, storage, or other resources needed to execute them. Usually, this involves determining a function that r ...
," awarded the 1974 Turing Award.
*
Gisle Hannemyr - Entrepreneur, net guru, and evangelist.
*
Trygve Reenskaug
Trygve Mikkjel Heyerdahl Reenskaug (21 June 1930 – 14 June 2024) was a Norwegian computer scientist and professor emeritus of the University of Oslo. He formulated the model–view–controller (MVC) pattern for graphical user interface (GUI) ...
- Formulated the
model–view–controller
Model–view–controller (MVC) is a software architectural pattern commonly used for developing user interfaces that divides the related program logic into three interconnected elements. These elements are:
* the model, the internal representat ...
(MVC) and developed
Object Oriented Role Analysis and Modeling (OOram).
*
Hans Petter Langtangen - Professor of scientific computing and director of the Centre for Biomedical Computing.
*
Lars Monrad-Krohn
Lars Monrad-Krohn (born 14 July 1933) is a Norwegian engineer and entrepreneur.
He graduated from the Norwegian Institute of Technology, Institute for Radio Technology, (NTH, Institutt for Radioteknikk) in 1959. His master thesis addressed constr ...
- Serial entrepreneur who established
Norsk Data
Norsk Data was a minicomputer manufacturer located in Oslo, Norway. Existing from 1967 to 1998, it had its most active period from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. At the company's peak in 1987, it was the second largest company in Norway and em ...
, the second largest company in Norway at its peak in 1987.
*
Pål Spilling
Pål Spilling (29 October 1934 – 16 January 2018) was a Norwegian Internet pioneer and professor at the University of Oslo and the UNIK Graduate Center at Kjeller in Norway.
He obtained his Candidatus realium, cand.real. degree in physics from t ...
-
Internet pioneer who brought the Internet to Europe and Norway, posthumously inducted into the
Internet Hall of Fame
The Internet Hall of Fame is an honorary lifetime achievement award administered by the Internet Society (ISOC) in recognition of individuals who have made significant contributions to the development and advancement of the Internet.
Overview ...
.
*
Rolf Nordhagen - Key figure in the development of the modern
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
, posthumously inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.
*
Håkon Wium Lie
Håkon Wium Lie (born July 26, 1965) is a Norwegian web pioneer, a standards activist, and the chairman of YesLogic, developers of Prince CSS-based PDF rendering software. He is best known for developing Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) while work ...
- Developer of
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and former
chief technology officer of
Opera Software
Opera (formerly Opera Software AS) is a Norwegian multinational technology corporation headquartered in Oslo, Norway with additional offices in European Union, Europe, China, and Africa. Opera offers a range of products and services that inclu ...
.
*
Torleiv Maseng
Torleiv Maseng (24 December 1946 – 11 July 2023) was a Norwegian engineer, who made some contribution to the Global System for Mobile Communications project. His work included the standard use of channel estimation and the combination of Equal ...
- Made significant contributions to the development of radio technology in
GSM
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a family of standards to describe the protocols for second-generation (2G) digital cellular networks, as used by mobile devices such as mobile phones and Mobile broadband modem, mobile broadba ...
.
References
{{Reflist
Educational institutions established in 1977
1977 establishments in Norway
University of Oslo