Robert Nicholson is a technology executive, consultant, and educator specializing in software engineering, distributed team management, and web development. He currently serves as a lecturer at San Jose State University, teaching upper-division and graduate courses in computer science, computer engineering, and applied data science.
Nicholson began his career in engineering management at Hewlett-Packard, Oracle Corporation, and Sun Microsystems. At Oracle, he was the Director of Multimedia Software, where he established the department for multimedia data types and oversaw the development of "Oracle Book". Later, as a Senior Manager and Acting Director at Sun Microsystems, he managed the transition of the CORBA engineering group and the release of Solaris for ISPs. He has also held vice president of engineering roles at several venture-funded startups, including InterSurvey and Red Herring.
In 2004, Nicholson co-founded LunaGraphica Inc., a web design and internet marketing firm. He served as its VP of Technology and transitioned the company to a fully remote model in 2014. Following LunaGraphica's acquisition by Metro.Agency in 2022, he became a digital media consultant. His other entrepreneurial ventures include co-founding Ratingz Inc., a vertical rating-and-review site platform, and developing the first expert system for online consumer bankruptcy counseling approved by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Nicholson is an author and amateur historian with a focus on California history and digital marketing. His publications include:
He has contributed numerous articles to technical and academic journals, including ACM Transactions on Office Information Systems, Byte Magazine, and Dr. Dobb's Journal.