I muri i te neke ki New York City i whakangungu ia i te tuatahi hei hangarau reo irirangi, ka hiahia ki te pāngarau. I puta ia i te Whare Wānanga o Columbia me te tohu paetahi i te 1949 me te tohu paetahi i te 1950, i roto i te pāngarau, ka uru atu ki IBM i te 1950. I roto i ona tau tuatahi e toru, i mahi ia i runga i te Selective Sequence Electronic Calculator (SSEC); ko tana kaupapa nui tuatahi ko te tuhi i tetahi papatono hei tatau i nga tuunga o te marama. I te 1953 i whakawhanakehia e Backus te reo Speedcoding, te reo taumata-nui tuatahi i hangaia mo te rorohiko IBM, hei awhina i te whanaketanga raupaparorohiko mo te rorohiko IBM 701. He tino uaua te whakamahere i tenei wa, a i te 1954 i whakakotahihia e Backus he roopu ki te whakawhanake me te tautuhi i te Fortran mo te rorohiko IBM 704. Ko Fortran te reo papatono taumata-nui tuatahi hei whakamahi whanui.
Columbia University me te tohu paetahi i te tau 1949 me te tohu paetahi i te tau 1950, i roto i te pāngarau