John Henry Holland

Born on 2 February 1929 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, John Henry Holland was a mathematician and computer scientist who developed genetic algorithms. In 1959 at the University of Michigan he received one of the first doctorates in a new field called computer science. Inspired by the R. A. Fisher book The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection, Holland developed computer algorithms that essentially evolved and learned from experience, much like living organisms do. Those genetic algorithms have enabled scientists to explore complex systems, which cannot be broken down into simpler parts to be examined. Holland’s embrace of evolutionary biology to inform computation eventually led him to the interdisciplinary and complexity-focused Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, where he started the Adaptive Computation program in 1990. He received multiple awards including a MacArthur Fellowship in 1992. Holland died in August 2015. (Photo credit: Santa Fe Institute)

Date in History: 2 February 1929