John Alan Robinson
John Alan Robinson | |
|---|---|
Robinson in 2012 | |
| Born | 9 March 1930 |
| Died | 5 August 2016 (aged 86) Portland, Maine, US |
| 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 |
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.