Daniel Jackson (computer scientist)
Encyclopedia
Daniel Jackson is a Professor
of Computer Science
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT). He is the principal designer of the Alloy
modelling language, and author of the book Software Abstractions: Logic, Language, and Analysis.
, England
, in 1963.
He studied physics
at Oxford University, receiving an MA in 1984. After completing his MA, Jackson worked for two years as a software engineer
at Logica UK Ltd. He then returned to academia to study computer science at MIT, where he received an SM in 1988, and a PhD in 1992. Following the completion of his doctorate Jackson took up a position as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University
, which he held until 1997. He has been on the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT since 1997.
Jackson is an avid photographer, and has an interest in the straight photography
style. A solo exhibition of his prints was shown at the Newton Free Library
in 2006.
Jackson is the son of software engineering researcher Michael A. Jackson
, developer of Jackson Structured Programming
(JSP), Jackson System Development
(JSD), and the Problem Frames Approach
.
language and its associated Alloy Analyzer analysis tool to provide support for lightweight specification and modelling efforts. George Hacken, writing in Computing Reviews, called Alloy "a powerful force-multiplier in the war on bugs".
Between 2004 and 2007, Jackson chaired a multi-year United States National Research Council
study on dependable systems.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Computer Science
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...
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT). He is the principal designer of the Alloy
Alloy (specification language)
In computer science and software engineering, Alloy is a declarative specification language for expressing complex structural constraints and behavior in a software system. Alloy provides a simple structural modeling tool based on first-order logic...
modelling language, and author of the book Software Abstractions: Logic, Language, and Analysis.
Biography
Jackson was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1963.
He studied physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at Oxford University, receiving an MA in 1984. After completing his MA, Jackson worked for two years as a software engineer
Software engineer
A software engineer is an engineer who applies the principles of software engineering to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make computers or anything containing software, such as computer chips, work.- Overview :...
at Logica UK Ltd. He then returned to academia to study computer science at MIT, where he received an SM in 1988, and a PhD in 1992. Following the completion of his doctorate Jackson took up a position as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, which he held until 1997. He has been on the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT since 1997.
Jackson is an avid photographer, and has an interest in the straight photography
Straight photography
Pure photography or straight photography refers to photography that attempts to depict a scene as realistically and objectively as permitted by the medium, renouncing the use of manipulation....
style. A solo exhibition of his prints was shown at the Newton Free Library
Newton Free Library
Newton Free Library, the public library of Newton, Massachusetts, provides an extensive collection of print, non-print, and electronic resources, a comprehensive reference service, and a wide array of educational and cultural programs for people of all ages....
in 2006.
Jackson is the son of software engineering researcher Michael A. Jackson
Michael A. Jackson
Michael Anthony Jackson is a British computer scientist, and independent computing consultant in London, England. He is also part-time researcher at AT&T Research, Florham Park, NJ, U.S., and visiting research professor at the Open University in the UK.- Biography :Jackson was educated at Harrow...
, developer of Jackson Structured Programming
Jackson Structured Programming
Jackson Structured Programming or JSP is a method for structured programming based on correspondences between data stream structure and program structure...
(JSP), Jackson System Development
Jackson System Development
Jackson System Development is a linear software development methodology developed by Michael A. Jackson and John Cameron in the 1980s.- History :...
(JSD), and the Problem Frames Approach
Problem Frames Approach
Problem analysis or the problem frames approach is an approach to software requirements analysis. It was developed by British software consultant Michael A...
.
Research
Jackson's research is broadly concerned with improving the dependability of software. He is a proponent of lightweight formal methods. Jackson and his students developed the AlloyAlloy (specification language)
In computer science and software engineering, Alloy is a declarative specification language for expressing complex structural constraints and behavior in a software system. Alloy provides a simple structural modeling tool based on first-order logic...
language and its associated Alloy Analyzer analysis tool to provide support for lightweight specification and modelling efforts. George Hacken, writing in Computing Reviews, called Alloy "a powerful force-multiplier in the war on bugs".
Between 2004 and 2007, Jackson chaired a multi-year United States National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
study on dependable systems.
Selected publications
- Daniel Jackson, Martyn Thomas, and Lynette I. Millett, Editors. Software for Dependable Systems: Sufficient Evidence? National Academies, Washington, DC, May 2007.
- Daniel Jackson. Software Abstractions: Logic, Language, and Analysis. MIT Press. Cambridge, MA. April 2006. ISBN 0-262-10114-9
- Daniel Jackson. Dependable Software by Design. Scientific American. June 2006.
- Daniel Jackson. Alloy: A Lightweight Object Modelling Notation. ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology. Vol. 11, No. 2, April 2002, pp. 256–290.