Jane Hillston
Encyclopedia
Jane Hillston is Professor of Quantitative
Modelling
and an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellow in the School of Informatics
, University of Edinburgh
, Scotland
.
Hillston received a BA in Mathematics
from the University of York
in 1985, an MSc in Mathematics from Lehigh University
in the USA in 1987 and a PhD in Computer Science
from the University of Edinburgh
in 1994, where she spent her subsequent academic career. Her thesis won one of the BCS
/CPHC Distinguished Dissertation Awards for 1995 and has been published by Cambridge University Press
.
She has been an EPSRC Research Fellow (1994–1995), lecturer (1995–2001), reader (2001–2006) and now professor since 2006. She is a member of the Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science
at Edinburgh.
Jane Hillston has worked on stochastic
process algebras. In particular, she has developed the PEPA
process algebra.
In 2004, she received the first Roger Needham
Award at the Royal Society
in London
. In March 2007 she was elected to be a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
.
Quantitative research
In the social sciences, quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to...
Modelling
Scientific modelling
Scientific modelling is the process of generating abstract, conceptual, graphical and/or mathematical models. Science offers a growing collection of methods, techniques and theory about all kinds of specialized scientific modelling...
and an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellow in the School of Informatics
University of Edinburgh School of Informatics
The School of Informatics is an academic unit of the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland, responsible for research, teaching, outreach and commercialisation in Informatics....
, University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Hillston received a BA in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
in 1985, an MSc in Mathematics from Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
in the USA in 1987 and a PhD in 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...
from the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in 1994, where she spent her subsequent academic career. Her thesis won one of the BCS
British Computer Society
The British Computer Society, is a professional body and a learned society that represents those working in Information Technology in the United Kingdom and internationally...
/CPHC Distinguished Dissertation Awards for 1995 and has been published by Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
.
She has been an EPSRC Research Fellow (1994–1995), lecturer (1995–2001), reader (2001–2006) and now professor since 2006. She is a member of the Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science
Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science
The Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science is based in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has an international reputation in theoretical computer science, mathematical logic and category theory.- Current :...
at Edinburgh.
Jane Hillston has worked on stochastic
Stochastic
Stochastic refers to systems whose behaviour is intrinsically non-deterministic. A stochastic process is one whose behavior is non-deterministic, in that a system's subsequent state is determined both by the process's predictable actions and by a random element. However, according to M. Kac and E...
process algebras. In particular, she has developed the PEPA
PEPA
Performance Evaluation Process Algebra is a stochastic process algebra designed for modelling computer and communication systems introduced by Jane Hillston in the 1990s...
process algebra.
In 2004, she received the first Roger Needham
Roger Needham
Roger Michael Needham, CBE, FRS, FREng was a British computer scientist.-Early life:He attended Doncaster Grammar School for Boys in Doncaster ....
Award at the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In March 2007 she was elected to be a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
.