Gerard J. Holzmann (born 1951) is a Dutch-American

computer scientist A computer scientist is a person who is trained in the academic study of computer science. Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation, as opposed to the hardware side on which computer engineers mainly focus (al ...

and researcher at

Bell Labs Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984), then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996) and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007), is an American industrial research and scientific development company owned by mult ...

and

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

, best known as the developer of the

SPIN model checker SPIN is a general tool for verifying the correctness of concurrent software models in a rigorous and mostly automated fashion. It was written by Gerard J. Holzmann and others in the original Unix group of the Computing Sciences Research Center ...

Biography

Holzmann was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and received an Engineer's degree in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

from the

Delft University of Technology Delft University of Technology ( nl, Technische Universiteit Delft), also known as TU Delft, is the oldest and largest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. As of 2022 it is ranked by QS World University Rankings among ...

in 1976. He subsequently also received his PhD degree from

Delft University Delft University of Technology ( nl, Technische Universiteit Delft), also known as TU Delft, is the oldest and largest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. As of 2022 it is ranked by QS World University Rankings among ...

in 1979 under W.L. van der Poel and J.L. de Kroes with a thesis entitled ''Coordination problems in multiprocessing systems''. After receiving a Fulbright Scholarship he was a post-graduate student at the University of Southern California for another year, where he worked with

Per Brinch Hansen Per Brinch Hansen (13 November 1938 – 31 July 2007) was a Danish-American computer scientist known for his work in operating systems, concurrent programming and parallel and distributed computing. Biography Early life and education Per B ...

. In 1980 he started at

in Murray Hill for a year. Back in the Netherlands he was assistant professor at the Delft University of Technology for two years.Holzmann, Gerard J. "The Pandora System: an interactive system for the design of data communication protocols." ''Computer Networks'' (1976) 8.2 (1984): 71-79. In 1983 he returned to

where he worked in the Computing Science Research Center (the former

Unix Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and ot ...

research group). In 2003 he joined

, where he leads the NASA JPL ''Laboratory for Reliable Software'' in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and is a JPL fellow. In 1981 Holzmann was awarded the Prof. Bahler Prize by the Royal Dutch Institute of Engineers, the

Software System Award The ACM Software System Award is an annual award that honors people or an organization "for developing a software system that has had a lasting influence, reflected in contributions to concepts, in commercial acceptance, or both". It is awarded by ...

(for Spin) in 2001 by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the

Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award The Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award is granted yearly by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) to honor "specific theoretical accomplishments that have had a significant and demonstrable effect on the practice of computing". It wa ...

in 2005, and the

NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal The NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal (abbreviated EEAM) was established by NASA in 1981 to recognize unusually significant engineering contributions towards achievement of aeronautical or space exploration goals. This award is given ...

in October 2012. Holzmann was elected a member of the US

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...

in 2005 for the creation of model-checking systems for software verification. In 2011 he was inducted as a Fellow of the

Association for Computing Machinery The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is a US-based international learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 and is the world's largest scientific and educational computing society. The ACM is a non-profit professional member ...

. In 2015 he was awarded th
IEEE Harlan D. Mills Award

Work

Holzmann is known for the development of the

(SPIN is short for ''Simple

Promela PROMELA (Process or Protocol Meta Language) is a verification modeling language introduced by Gerard J. Holzmann. The language allows for the dynamic creation of concurrent processes to model, for example, distributed systems. In PROMELA models, c ...

Interpreter'') in the 1980s at Bell Labs. This device can verify the correctness of concurrent software, since 1991 freely available.

Books

Publications, a selection:DBLP bibliography
/ref> *
The Spin Model Checker — Primer and Reference Manual
',

Addison-Wesley Addison-Wesley is an American publisher of textbooks and computer literature. It is an imprint of Pearson PLC, a global publishing and education company. In addition to publishing books, Addison-Wesley also distributes its technical titles through ...

, 2003. . *
Design and Validation of Computer Protocols
',

Prentice Hall Prentice Hall was an American major educational publisher owned by Savvas Learning Company. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6–12 and higher-education market, and distributes its technical titles through the Safari B ...

, 1991. *
The Early History of Data Networks
',

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

Computer Society The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

Press, 1995. *
Beyond Photography — The Digital Darkroom
',

, 1988. .

References

External links

Home page

Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holzmann, Gerard J 1951 births Living people American computer scientists Dutch computer scientists Formal methods people Scientists at Bell Labs Delft University of Technology alumni Scientists from Amsterdam NASA people Dutch emigrants to the United States Fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Fellows of Jet Propulsion Laboratory