John Alan Robinson | |
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Born | |
Died | 5 August 2016 Portland, Maine, US | (aged 86)
Alma mater | Cambridge University University of Oregon Princeton University |
Known for | resolution principle, unification |
Awards | AMS Milestone Award 1985, Humboldt Senior Scientist Award 1995, Herbrand Award 1996 |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | Syracuse University |
Thesis | Causation, probability and testimony (1957) |
Doctoral advisor | Carl Hempel[1] |
John Alan Robinson (9 March 1930 – 5 August 2016) was a philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist. He was a professor emeritus at Syracuse University.
Alan Robinson's major contribution is to the foundations of automated theorem proving. His unification algorithm eliminated one source of combinatorial explosion in resolution provers; it also prepared the ground for the logic programming paradigm, in particular for the Prolog language. Robinson received the 1996 Herbrand Award for Distinguished Contributions to Automated Reasoning.