David L. Mills, Ph.D.

3 Jun 1938 - 17 Jan 2024

David L. Mills attended the University of Michigan where he earned a BSE in Engineering Science, a BSE in Engineering Mathematics, an MSE in Electrical Engineering, an MS in Communication Sciences, and a PhD in Computer and Communications Science. From 1986 to 2008, he served as Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Professor of Computer and Information Sciences at the University of Delaware. After retiring in September 2008, Dr. Mills continued teaching as an Adjunct Professor and conducting occasional research projects funded by JPL.

Dr. Mills' research interests included computer internetworking systems, especially time synchronization technology. He was involved in developing internet technology since 1977. His research sponsors included the National Science Foundation (NSF), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), US Navy, US Army and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Father Time, plotting...What?...Random Leap Seconds?
Whatever the plot, it should be in Mills-Speak...

Dr. Mills taught graduate courses in computer networks, computer security and the mathematics of cryptography. His undergraduate course teachings included computer architecture, electronic circuit analysis and analog/digital communications.

Dr. Mills was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) as well as the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). His last book is Network Time Synchronization: the Network Time Protocol on Earth and in Space, Second Edition. CRC Press 2011, 466 pp. Russian translation: ISBN 978-966-97191-0-2. A third edition of this book was planned, with Harlan Stenn as a co-author.