Tony Hoare: A Life of Logic, Theory, and Practice

Prof. Jonathan P. Bowen

5:15 pm - Networking (refreshments and biscuits to be served for venue attendees)

6:00 pm - Talk

7:00 pm - Q&A

7:15 pm - Networking (light refreshments to be served for venue attendees)

8:00 pm - Event close for online attendees

8:30 pm - Event close for venue attendees

Prof. Sir Charles Antony Richard (Tony) Hoare (1934-2026) was a giant of computer science, whose work bridged the gap between the abstract elegance of mathematical logic and the practical necessity of reliable software.

Best known for the Quicksort algorithm, the development of Hoare logic, and the formalization of Communicating Sequential Processes (CSP), his career was defined by a relentless pursuit of "correctness by construction".

This talk chronicles his journey from a student of the Classics at Oxford to the recipient of the ACM A.M. Turing Award, exploring a legacy that helped to transform programming from a craft into a disciplined science.

Prof. Jonathan P. Bowen, MA Oxon, FBCS, FRSA, is an Emeritus Professor of Computing at London South Bank University, UK, Chair of Museophile Limited, a museum and IT consultancy company that he founded in 2002, and an Adjunct Professor at Southwest University, China. He has been a visiting scholar/professor at a variety of institutions, including the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies (Jerusalem), King's College London, and the Pratt Institute (New York). Previously, he has held academic and research posts at the University of Reading, Oxford University, and Imperial College London.

Jonathan’s research interests range from computer science, especially software engineering and formal methods, to the history of computing and digital culture. He contributes to Wikipedia on computing-related and cultural topics. His books include "The Turing Guide" (Oxford University Press, 2017) on Alan Turing. Web: https://www.jpbowen.com

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This event is brought to you by: FACS (Formal Aspects of Computing Science) group | BCS

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