Nigel Shadbolt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Nigel Shadbolt
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Shadbolt in June 2013
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Nigel Richard Shadbolt
9 April 1956 London, England
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| Education | Lady Manners School |
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Beverly Saunders
(m. 1992) |
| Awards | Knight Bachelor (2013) |
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| Thesis | Constituting Reference in Natural Language: The Problem of Referential Opacity (1986) |
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Sir Nigel Richard Shadbolt, born on April 9, 1956, is a very important scientist. He is currently the head of Jesus College, Oxford, and a professor at the University of Oxford. He is also the chairman of the Open Data Institute, which he started with Tim Berners-Lee.
Sir Nigel is known for his work in many areas. These include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Web science, and Open data. He studies how smart behavior appears in humans and machines. He also looks at how information is shared on the internet.
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Early Life and Education
Nigel Shadbolt was born in London, England. He was adopted and grew up in a village called Ashford-in-the-Water. He described his childhood there as "bucolic," meaning peaceful and rural.
He went to Lady Manners School. Later, he studied philosophy and psychology at Newcastle University. He then earned his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh. His Ph.D. research helped us understand how people talk to each other.
His Work in Technology
Sir Nigel Shadbolt has been working in Artificial Intelligence since the late 1970s. He has explored many topics. These include how computers understand language and how robots work. He also studied how our brains remember things.
He has also worked on the Semantic Web and Linked data. These ideas help computers understand information better. He even writes about how his research affects our lives. For example, he co-wrote a book called The Spy in the Coffee Machine. This book talks about privacy and trust in the digital world.
His most recent research is about "social machines." This is about how humans, computers, and data work together on the internet. They solve problems on a very large scale.
From 2000 to 2015, he was a professor of artificial intelligence at the University of Southampton. He led a big research project called AKT. This project looked at how to collect and combine different types of information. It also explored how computers could recommend content.
In 2006, he became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He is also a Fellow of the British Computer Society. That same year, he helped start the Web Science Research Initiative. This group helps promote the study of Web Science. It also encourages research between the University of Southampton and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
His work on the Semantic Web led to a company called Garlik. This company helped people protect their identity online. Garlik was later bought by another company called Experian.
Open Data and Government Work
In 2009, Sir Nigel was asked to be an Information Advisor to the UK Government. He worked with Tim Berners-Lee to create data.gov.uk. This website makes it easy to find public information from the UK government.
In 2010, he joined the Public Sector Transparency Board. This board helps set rules for how government data should be shared openly.
In 2012, Sir Nigel and Tim Berners-Lee officially launched the Open Data Institute (ODI). The ODI helps new businesses use open data. It also provides training and promotes standards for data.
Since 2015, he has been the head of Jesus College, Oxford. He is also a professor at the University of Oxford. He will finish his role at Jesus College in 2026.
Awards and Honours
Sir Nigel Shadbolt has received many awards for his important work.
- In 2003, he won the International Semantic Web Challenge.
- In 2011, he received an honorary degree (DSc) from the University of Nottingham.
- In 2013, he was made a Knight Bachelor by the Queen. This means he can use "Sir" before his name. He received this honor for his services to science and engineering.
- In 2017, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honor for scientists.
He has also given important talks, like the Hinton Lecture in 2016. This talk was about "Engineering the Future of Data."
Personal Life
Sir Nigel Shadbolt is married to Bev Saunders, who is a designer. They have two children.
