James F. Allen
Encyclopedia
James Frederick Allen is a computational linguist recognized for his contributions to temporal logic
, in particular Allen's Interval Algebra
. He is the John H. Dessaurer Professor of Computer Science
at the University of Rochester
.
in 1979, under the supervision of (Charles) Raymond Perrault, after which he joined the faculty at Rochester. At Rochester, he was department chair from 1987 to 1990, directed the Cognitive Science Program from 1992 to 1996, and co-directed the Center for the Sciences of Language from 1996 to 1998. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of Computational Linguistics
from 1983-1993. Since 2006 he has also been associate director of the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.
He is also the co-author with Henry Kautz, Richard Pelavin, and Josh Tenenberg of Reasoning About Plans (Morgan Kaufmann, 1991).
. In 1992 he became the Dessaurer Professor at Rochester.
Temporal logic
In logic, the term temporal logic is used to describe any system of rules and symbolism for representing, and reasoning about, propositions qualified in terms of time. In a temporal logic we can then express statements like "I am always hungry", "I will eventually be hungry", or "I will be hungry...
, in particular Allen's Interval Algebra
Allen's Interval Algebra
For the type of boolean algebra called interval algebra, see Boolean algebra Allen's interval algebra is a calculus for temporal reasoning that was introduced by James F...
. He is the John H. Dessaurer Professor of Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
at the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
.
Biography
Allen received his Ph.D. from the University of TorontoUniversity of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1979, under the supervision of (Charles) Raymond Perrault, after which he joined the faculty at Rochester. At Rochester, he was department chair from 1987 to 1990, directed the Cognitive Science Program from 1992 to 1996, and co-directed the Center for the Sciences of Language from 1996 to 1998. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of Computational Linguistics
Computational Linguistics (journal)
Computational Linguistics is a peer-reviewed academic journal in the field of computational linguistics. It is published quarterly by MIT Press for the Association for Computational Linguistics...
from 1983-1993. Since 2006 he has also been associate director of the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.
Books
Allen is the author of the textbook Natural Language Understanding (Benjamin-Cummings, 1987; 2nd ed., 1995).He is also the co-author with Henry Kautz, Richard Pelavin, and Josh Tenenberg of Reasoning About Plans (Morgan Kaufmann, 1991).
Awards and honors
In 1991 he was elected as a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial IntelligenceAssociation for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence or AAAI is an international, nonprofit, scientific society devoted to advancing the scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior and their embodiment in machines...
. In 1992 he became the Dessaurer Professor at Rochester.