Samson Abramsky
Encyclopedia
Samson D. Abramsky FRS
, FRSE
is a computer scientist
who currently holds the Christopher Strachey
Professorship at Oxford University Computing Laboratory
. He is well known for playing a leading role in the development of game semantics
. He has made significant contributions to the areas of domain theory
, the lazy lambda calculus, strictness analysis
, concurrency theory, interaction categories, and the geometry of interaction
.
of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
, a Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford
and Christopher Strachey
Professor of Computing at Oxford University Computing Laboratory
. He has also been a Fellow of the Royal Society since 2004. His research achievements include the development of game semantics
, domain theory
in logical form
, and categorical
quantum mechanics
.
He was educated at Hasmonean Grammar School for Boys
, Hendon
and at King's College, Cambridge
(BA 1975, MA Philosophy 1979, Diploma in Computer Science) and Queen Mary, University of London
(PhD Computer Science 1988, supervised by Richard Bornat
).
His earlier positions include:
Professor of Computing and a Fellow of Wolfson College
, Oxford University. Previously he held chairs at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, and at the University of Edinburgh
.
He holds MA degrees from Cambridge
and Oxford
, and a PhD
from the University of London
.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society
(2004), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
(2000), and a Member of Academia Europaea
(1993). He is a member of the Editorial Boards of the North Holland Studies in Logic and the Foundations of Mathematics, and of the Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science. He was General Chair of LiCS 2000-2003, and is currently a member of the LiCS Organizing Committee.
He has played a leading role in the development of game semantics
, and its applications to the semantics of programming languages. Other notable contributions include his work on domain theory
in logical form, the lazy lambda calculus, strictness analysis
, concurrency theory, interaction categories, and geometry of interaction
. He has recently been working on high-level methods for quantum computation and information
.
Abramsky's PhD students include the computer scientists Chris Hankin and Luke Ong.
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, FRSE
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
is a computer scientist
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
who currently holds the Christopher Strachey
Christopher Strachey
Christopher Strachey was a British computer scientist. He was one of the founders of denotational semantics, and a pioneer in programming language design...
Professorship at Oxford University Computing Laboratory
Oxford University Computing Laboratory
The Department of Computer Science, until 2011 named the Computing Laboratory , is a department of Oxford University in England...
. He is well known for playing a leading role in the development of game semantics
Game semantics
Game semantics is an approach to formal semantics that grounds the concepts of truth or validity on game-theoretic concepts, such as the existence of a winning strategy for a player, somewhat resembling Socratic dialogues or medieval theory of Obligationes. In the late 1950s Paul Lorenzen was the...
. He has made significant contributions to the areas of domain theory
Domain theory
Domain theory is a branch of mathematics that studies special kinds of partially ordered sets commonly called domains. Consequently, domain theory can be considered as a branch of order theory. The field has major applications in computer science, where it is used to specify denotational...
, the lazy lambda calculus, strictness analysis
Strictness analysis
In computer science, strictness analysis refers to any algorithm used to prove that a function in a non-strict functional programming language is strict in one or more of its arguments. This information is useful to compilers because strict functions can be compiled more efficiently...
, concurrency theory, interaction categories, and the geometry of interaction
Geometry of interaction
The geometry of interaction was introduced by Jean-Yves Girard shortly after his work on Linear Logic. In linear logic, proofs can be seen as some kind of networks instead of the flat tree structure of sequent calculus. To distinguish the real proof nets from all the possible networks, Girard...
.
Biography
Since the Year 2000, he has been a FellowFellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
, a Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Located in north Oxford along the River Cherwell, Wolfson is an all-graduate college with over sixty governing body fellows, in addition to both research and junior research fellows. It caters to a wide range of...
and Christopher Strachey
Christopher Strachey
Christopher Strachey was a British computer scientist. He was one of the founders of denotational semantics, and a pioneer in programming language design...
Professor of Computing at Oxford University Computing Laboratory
Oxford University Computing Laboratory
The Department of Computer Science, until 2011 named the Computing Laboratory , is a department of Oxford University in England...
. He has also been a Fellow of the Royal Society since 2004. His research achievements include the development of game semantics
Game semantics
Game semantics is an approach to formal semantics that grounds the concepts of truth or validity on game-theoretic concepts, such as the existence of a winning strategy for a player, somewhat resembling Socratic dialogues or medieval theory of Obligationes. In the late 1950s Paul Lorenzen was the...
, domain theory
Domain theory
Domain theory is a branch of mathematics that studies special kinds of partially ordered sets commonly called domains. Consequently, domain theory can be considered as a branch of order theory. The field has major applications in computer science, where it is used to specify denotational...
in logical form
Logical form
In logic, the logical form of a sentence or set of sentences is the form obtained by abstracting from the subject matter of its content terms or by regarding the content terms as mere placeholders or blanks on a form...
, and categorical
Categorical
See:* Categorical imperative* Morley's categoricity theorem* Categorical data analysis* Categorical distribution* Categorical logic* Categorical syllogism* Categorical proposition* Categorization* Categorical perception* Category theory...
quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
.
He was educated at Hasmonean Grammar School for Boys
Hasmonean High School
HasmoHigh School is a voluntary aided, comprehensive school, for pupils aged 11 to 18 from Orthodox Jewish families, situated in the London Borough of Barnet.-Admissions:...
, Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...
and at King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
(BA 1975, MA Philosophy 1979, Diploma in Computer Science) and Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
(PhD Computer Science 1988, supervised by Richard Bornat
Richard Bornat
Richard Bornat , is a noted British author and researcher in the field of computer science. He is also professor of Computer programming at Middlesex University. Previously he was at Queen Mary, University of London.- Research :...
).
His earlier positions include:
- Programmer, GEC Computers Limited, 1976–1978
- Lecturer, Department of Computer Science and Statistics, QMUL, 1980–1983
- Lecturer, 1983–1988, Reader, 1988–1990, Professor, 1990–1995, Department of Computing, Imperial College LondonImperial College LondonImperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
- Professor of Theoretical Computer Science, University of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghThe University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, 1996–2000
Research career
Samson Abramsky is Christopher StracheyChristopher Strachey
Christopher Strachey was a British computer scientist. He was one of the founders of denotational semantics, and a pioneer in programming language design...
Professor of Computing and a Fellow of Wolfson College
Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Located in north Oxford along the River Cherwell, Wolfson is an all-graduate college with over sixty governing body fellows, in addition to both research and junior research fellows. It caters to a wide range of...
, Oxford University. Previously he held chairs at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, and at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
He holds MA degrees from Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, and a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(2004), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
(2000), and a Member of Academia Europaea
Academia Europaea
Academia Europæa is a European non-governmental scientific academy founded in 1988. Its members are scientists and scholars who collectively aim to promote learning, education and research. It publishes European Review through Cambridge Journals....
(1993). He is a member of the Editorial Boards of the North Holland Studies in Logic and the Foundations of Mathematics, and of the Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science. He was General Chair of LiCS 2000-2003, and is currently a member of the LiCS Organizing Committee.
He has played a leading role in the development of game semantics
Game semantics
Game semantics is an approach to formal semantics that grounds the concepts of truth or validity on game-theoretic concepts, such as the existence of a winning strategy for a player, somewhat resembling Socratic dialogues or medieval theory of Obligationes. In the late 1950s Paul Lorenzen was the...
, and its applications to the semantics of programming languages. Other notable contributions include his work on domain theory
Domain theory
Domain theory is a branch of mathematics that studies special kinds of partially ordered sets commonly called domains. Consequently, domain theory can be considered as a branch of order theory. The field has major applications in computer science, where it is used to specify denotational...
in logical form, the lazy lambda calculus, strictness analysis
Strictness analysis
In computer science, strictness analysis refers to any algorithm used to prove that a function in a non-strict functional programming language is strict in one or more of its arguments. This information is useful to compilers because strict functions can be compiled more efficiently...
, concurrency theory, interaction categories, and geometry of interaction
Geometry of interaction
The geometry of interaction was introduced by Jean-Yves Girard shortly after his work on Linear Logic. In linear logic, proofs can be seen as some kind of networks instead of the flat tree structure of sequent calculus. To distinguish the real proof nets from all the possible networks, Girard...
. He has recently been working on high-level methods for quantum computation and information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
.
Abramsky's PhD students include the computer scientists Chris Hankin and Luke Ong.
Awards
- He was awarded an EPSRC Senior Research Fellowship in 2007
- His paper "Domain theoryDomain theoryDomain theory is a branch of mathematics that studies special kinds of partially ordered sets commonly called domains. Consequently, domain theory can be considered as a branch of order theory. The field has major applications in computer science, where it is used to specify denotational...
in Logical Form" won the LiCS Test-of-Time award (a 20-year retrospective) for 1987. The award was presented at LiCS 2007. - He was awarded an EPSRC Senior Research Fellowship on Foundational Structures and Methods for Quantum Informatics in 2007.
- Fellow of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(2004) - Fellow of the Royal Society of EdinburghRoyal Society of EdinburghThe Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
(2000)
External links
- Samson Abramsky home page
- Samson Abramsky page, LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a business-related social networking site. Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. , LinkedIn reports more than 120 million registered users in more than 200 countries and territories. The site is available in English, French,...