Nigel Horspool
Encyclopedia
R. Nigel Horspool is a professor
of computer science
at the University of Victoria
. He invented the Boyer–Moore–Horspool algorithm
, a fast string search algorithm adapted from the Boyer–Moore string search algorithm
. Horspool is co-inventor of dynamic Markov compression
and is co-editor of the journal Software: Practice and Experience.
Nigel Horspool is British by birth, but is now a citizen of Canada.
After a public school education at Monmouth School
, he studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge
where he received a BA in Natural Science, but specializing in Theoretical Physics
, in 1969.
After two years employment as an assembly language programmer on a failed air traffic control system project, he went to the University of Toronto
for a MSc followed by a PhD in computer science
.
This was followed by seven years as an Assistant Professor and then an Associate Professor at McGill University
.
In 1983, he made a permanent move to the University of Victoria
.
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 University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
. He invented the Boyer–Moore–Horspool algorithm
Boyer–Moore–Horspool algorithm
In computer science, the Boyer–Moore–Horspool algorithm or Horspool's algorithm is an algorithm for finding substrings in strings. It was published by Nigel Horspool in 1980....
, a fast string search algorithm adapted from the Boyer–Moore string search algorithm
Boyer–Moore string search algorithm
The Boyer–Moore string search algorithm is a particularly efficient string searching algorithm, and it has been the standard benchmark for the practical string search literature. It was developed by Bob Boyer and J Strother Moore in 1977...
. Horspool is co-inventor of dynamic Markov compression
Dynamic Markov compression
Dynamic Markov compression is a lossless data compression algorithm developed by Gordon Cormack and Nigel Horspool . It uses predictive arithmetic coding similar to prediction by partial matching , except that the input is predicted one bit at a time...
and is co-editor of the journal Software: Practice and Experience.
Nigel Horspool is British by birth, but is now a citizen of Canada.
After a public school education at Monmouth School
Monmouth School
Monmouth School is an HMC boys' boarding and day school in Monmouth, Monmouthshire in south east Wales. It was founded in 1614 by William Jones. It is run as a trust, the William Jones's Schools Foundation, by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, one of the Livery Companies...
, he studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
where he received a BA in Natural Science, but specializing in Theoretical Physics
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
, in 1969.
After two years employment as an assembly language programmer on a failed air traffic control system project, he went to the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
for a MSc followed by a PhD in 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...
.
This was followed by seven years as an Assistant Professor and then an Associate Professor at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
.
In 1983, he made a permanent move to the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
.