Roland Carl Backhouse
Encyclopedia
Roland Carl Backhouse is a British
computer scientist
and mathematician
who is currently Professor of Computing Science at the University of Nottingham
.
district of Middlesbrough, an industrial town in the north-east of England. In 1959 he won a place at Acklam Hall Grammar School (a school that has since lost its existence under an updated education scheme) before going on to Churchill College, Cambridge
, in 1966. His doctorate was completed under the supervision of Jim Cunningham at Imperial College London
.
(1969–1970), Heriot-Watt University
(1973–1982), University of Essex
(1982–1986). He was formerly Professor of Computer Science at the University of Groningen
(1986–90) and Eindhoven University of Technology
(1990–1999) in the Netherlands, prior to his current position at the University of Nottingham.
.
(1953—1994), he initiated the biennial series of conferences on the Mathematics of Program Construction, the first of which was held in 1989.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
and mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
who is currently Professor of Computing Science at the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
.
Early life and education
Backhouse was born and raised on one of the poorest housing estates in England, the ThorntreeThorntree
Thorntree is a housing estate in east Middlesbrough within the unitary authority of Middlesbrough and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.It is so called because it was built on land which was Thorntree Farm....
district of Middlesbrough, an industrial town in the north-east of England. In 1959 he won a place at Acklam Hall Grammar School (a school that has since lost its existence under an updated education scheme) before going on to Churchill College, Cambridge
Churchill College, Cambridge
Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.In 1958, a Trust was established with Sir Winston Churchill as its Chairman of Trustees, to build and endow a college for 60 fellows and 540 Students as a national and Commonwealth memorial to Winston Churchill; its...
, in 1966. His doctorate was completed under the supervision of Jim Cunningham at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
.
Career
Backhouse's career has included Royal Aircraft EstablishmentRoyal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
(1969–1970), Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
(1973–1982), University of Essex
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
(1982–1986). He was formerly Professor of Computer Science at the University of Groningen
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...
(1986–90) and Eindhoven University of Technology
Eindhoven University of Technology
The ' is a university of technology located in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The motto of the university is: Mens agitat molem . The university was the second of its kind in the Netherlands, only Delft University of Technology existed previously. Until mid-1980 it was known as the...
(1990–1999) in the Netherlands, prior to his current position at the University of Nottingham.
Personal life
Backhouse is married to Hilary (née Mitchell) and they have three sons, Kevin, Andrew and DavidDavid Backhouse
David Backhouse is a Dutch slalom canoeist who competed in the early 2000s. He won a silver medal in the K-1 team event at the 2003 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Augsburg.-References:**...
.
Academic interests
His research interests lie in the mathematics of program construction and algorithmic problem solving. Together with Jan L. A. van de SnepscheutJan L. A. van de Snepscheut
Johannes Lambertus Adriana van de Snepscheut was a computer scientist and educator. At the time of his surprising death he was the executive officer of the computer science department at the California Institute of Technology.-Bibliography:* Jan L. A...
(1953—1994), he initiated the biennial series of conferences on the Mathematics of Program Construction, the first of which was held in 1989.