Brent Seales MS’88, PhD’91 has dedicated his life to solving one of history’s greatest challenges: recovering ancient “lost” texts rendered unreadable by nature and time. Now a celebrated professor of computer science at the University of Kentucky, Seales has received the inaugural Distinguished Achievement Award from the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for his transformative achievements in applied research.
The inventor of the revolutionary “virtual unwrapping” technique, his work uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to restore texts previously thought to be lost, with an emphasis on those central to Biblical scholarship and the formation of the ancient world. His journey to this remarkable achievement began at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he pursued his master’s and doctoral studies in computer science.
“I struggled to be average while at Wisconsin, so it means a lot to be recognized among a pool of incredibly talented people,” says Seales. “Wisconsin gave me a platform to understand hard work and perseverance. I didn’t give up, and that is actually the secret to any success. If anything’s ever gonna happen, it’s gonna happen by you being there and working hard.”
Following his time at UW–Madison, Seales pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science before returning to the U.S. to join the University of Kentucky. His career quickly ascended as he moved from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor, eventually becoming the Stan and Karen Pigman Chair of Heritage Science and Director of the NSF-funded EduceLab—a testament to his leadership in advancing the field of digital preservation.
Towards a new ethos: Move slow and fix things
In a manner fitting his specialty in recovering damaged biblical texts, Seales’ research is inspired by the concept of redemption. “Silicon Valley often gets depicted as people who want to break and disrupt things, and I’m not totally comfortable with that mentality,” he says. “What if we fixed things instead?”
In 2015, he astonished global audiences by virtually unwrapping the scroll from En-Gedi—at face value, little more than a lump of charcoal. Damaged irreparably by time, nature, and fire, the parchment “had turned into chunks of charcoal that continued to disintegrate every time they were touched,” (Science) leaving experts no option but to shelve the remnants and leave their contents a mystery—that is, until Seales stepped in. Carbon dated to the third century C.E., it turned out to be the oldest known Hebrew copy of the book of Leviticus outside of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
“The work exhibits this idea of taking something really damaged and using technology to restore it and extract more information,” explains Seales.
These days, we’re comfortable with assuming the most important information is both immediately available and accessible online, but as Seales’ work shows, that wasn’t the case for most of human history. “I graduated from Wisconsin in ‘91, when the digital library was all the rage,” says Seales, acknowledging that this digital transition brought improved accessibility and an explosion of new titles and information. Still, “I realized many ancient texts would be left out. And it really bothered me, from historical, scholarly, and religious perspectives.”
Seales notes that in the age of mechanical reproduction, quality is sometimes sacrificed. Over a 33-year career, his research asks, “Do we want to abandon the excellence that we found in the past? Or is there a way for everybody to get on the bus, rather than leaving some of these works behind?”
Virtual unwrapping offers a solution, allowing us to safeguard invaluable pieces of history even as we look ahead. As today’s students find their own ways to contribute, Seales encourages them to do so fearlessly. And as his experience taught him, no place is better to do that than at UW–Madison.
First, show up. Then, don’t give up.
Reflecting on his career, Seales emphasizes that UW–Madison gave him a platform to build a lasting legacy. “It means a lot to know that my alma mater has been paying attention to my work,” says Seales, encouraging students to cherish their time at UW. “I loved Wisconsin because people were very empowering and enabling—that’s what fosters a creative environment. My wife and I wept the day that we left Madison.”
Yet as crucial as UW–Madison’s uniquely innovative computer science department has proven to be to his success, Seales also advises students that finding a supportive community is essential. “My advisor, the brilliant Professor Emeritus Chuck Dyer, is probably one of the most talented people I’ve ever known. Without his early guidance, none of this would have been possible,” he says. “Students shouldn’t be afraid of being ambitious, and they shouldn’t be deterred by naysayers.”
Not following one’s ambitions, he cautions, won’t only prevent you from finding success—it affects those who might have benefitted from your brilliance, too.
“I mean, nobody told Judy, ‘You’re never going to be able to build a company in Verona, WI with a billion employees and even more in revenue,’” says Seales, referring to Judith R. Faulkner MS’67, a CS alumna and the founder/CEO of Epic Systems. “Or, she didn’t listen when they did. So my advice to students is to trust your ambition and surround yourself with people who encourage you to do the hard thing, the fun thing, the outlandish thing.”
Congratulations again to Seales and the rest of the Distinguished Achievement Awardees for their extraordinary contributions to advancing knowledge.