Microsoft Research (MSR) is a ivision of Microsoft created in 1991 for researching various computer science topics and issues. It is one of the top research centers worldwide currently employing Turing Award winners C.A.R. Hoare and Butler Lampson, Fields Medal winner Michael Freedman, MacArthur Fellow Jim Blinn, Dijkstra Prize winner Leslie Lamport and many other highly recognized experts in computer science, physics, and mathematics, including Jim Gray up until his highly publicized disappearance while sailing.