Dr. Abler received his bachelors, Masters, and PhD degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1986, 1992, and 2000, respectively.

Dr. Abler worked as a Research Engineer while pursuing his graduate degrees, and was involved in the design and implementation of parallel computers, including VLSI design to miniaturize special purpose processors. He later worked on various networking areas, including IP, ATM, and wide area networks, and was involved in establishing the initial Internet 2 connectivity for Georgia Tech. Dr Abler's hobbies include flying/flight instructing, and woodworking.