Peter Buneman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Buneman
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| Born |
Oscar Peter Buneman
1943 (age 81–82) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University of Warwick |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer Science |
| Institutions |
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| Thesis | Models of Learning and Memory (1970) |
| Doctoral advisor | Christopher Zeeman |
| Doctoral students |
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Oscar Peter Buneman (born in 1943) is a British computer scientist. He is famous for his work with database systems and database theory. Think of databases as super organized digital filing cabinets!
Contents
Peter Buneman's Early Learning
Peter Buneman studied at the University of Cambridge. There, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then continued his studies at the University of Warwick. In 1970, he received his PhD from Warwick.
What Does a Computer Scientist Do?
After getting his PhD, Peter Buneman worked for a short time at the University of Edinburgh. He then became a professor of computer science. This was at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. He taught there for many years.
In 2002, he returned to the University of Edinburgh. He helped build a strong research group there. This group focused on databases. He also helped start the UK Digital Curation Centre. This center helps manage and preserve digital information. It is located in Edinburgh.
His Big Ideas in Computer Science
Peter Buneman is well-known for his research in databases. He found new ways to connect databases with programming language theory. This means he helped computers understand and use data better. He worked on special "query languages." These languages help you ask questions and get information from complex databases.
He also started research on "semi-structured data." This is like information you find on the internet. It's not always neatly organized. More recently, he has worked on "data provenance." This means tracking where data comes from. It also includes how data changes over time. He also studies "digital curation," which is about taking care of digital information.
How His Work Helps Biology
In the field of computational biology, Peter Buneman is famous for his work on phylogenetic trees. These are like family trees for living things. They show how different species are related. He helped create a way to build these trees using "Buneman graphs." These graphs are named after him!
Awards and Special Recognitions
Peter Buneman has received many important awards. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. He is also a fellow of the ACM. This is a leading group for computer professionals. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
He has led major conferences in data management. These include SIGMOD and VLDB. He also chaired PODS. These are big events where computer scientists share their new ideas.
In 2013, he was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award. This was for his great work in data systems and computing.
His Family
Peter Buneman's father was Oscar Buneman. He was also a famous scientist. He was a physicist.
