John L. Hennessy is an American computer scientist and academic known for his contributions to computer architecture. He co-developed the MIPS architecture, which has been widely used in various computing devices. Hennessy served as the president of Stanford University from 2000 to 2016, where he focused on enhancing research and education. In addition to his academic roles, Hennessy has authored several influential books on computer architecture, including "Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach." He received the Turing Award in 2017, recognizing his significant impact on the field of computer science and engineering.