Microsoft snaffles international research boss from academia

Jeannette Wing has been named Microsoft's new vice president of international research.

Wing comes to Microsoft with a background in computer science research for the privacy and security fields. She will be reporting directly to Microsoft's chief research officer Rick Rashid.

"Jeannette is a leading light in the computer science research community, providing strong leadership both at Carnegie Mellon and at NSF," said Rashid.

"I have long been impressed by both her profound commitment to world-class research and her service to the research community, and I look forward to working alongside her. It's a privilege to welcome Jeannette to Microsoft Research."

Wing will be responsible for operations of Microsoft research labs in Southeast Asia and England. She will start working at her new posting starting January 2013.

Before joining Microsoft, Wing served as the assistant director of the US National Science Foundation's computer and information science and engineering division. Wing also spent five years as the associate dean for academic affairs at Carnegie Mellon University.

"I'm excited to join Microsoft Research, a world-class research organisation in computing and related disciplines, and I appreciate this unique opportunity to lead its international labs," Wing said.

"Microsoft Research has already had tremendous impact on the field of computing, on Microsoft's products and services, and on society, with potential yet to be unleashed."

Wing joins Microsoft during a time of distinct upheaval. Microsoft recently parted ways with its head of Windows and Windows Live operations Steven Sinofsky.

Sinofsky was reportedly let go because of his volatile nature. He was "notoriously difficult to work with", according to some analysts.