Biography:Sidney Michaelson

Sidney Michaelson FRSE FIMA FSA FBCS (5 December 1925–21 February 1991) was Scotland's first professor of Computer Science. He was joint founder of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. As an author he is remembered for his analysis of the Bible.

Life

He was born on 5 December 1925 in the East End of London into a relatively poor family. Academically brilliant he won a scholarship to Imperial College, London. He studied mathematics and graduated in 1946. After several years of postgraduate study looking at electrical applications in mathematics he began lecturing at Imperial College in 1949. In 1963 he moved to the University of Edinburgh as Director of its newly founded Computer Unit, and in 1969 became the first Professor of Computer Science.

Notable students included Rosemary Candlin.

In 1969 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Nicholas Kemmer, David Finney, Sir Michael Swann and Arthur Erdelyi.

He died in Edinburgh on 21 February 1991.

Family

His wife Kitty died in 1995. They had four children.

Recognition

In 1991 the University of Edinburgh created the Sidney Michaelson Prize in Computer Science his honour.

Michaelson Square in Livingston is named in his memory.

Publications

• A Critical Concordance of I and II Corinthians (1979)
• A Critical Concordance of the Letter of Paul to the Romans (1977)