Philippe Dreyfus is a French

informatics Informatics is the study of computational systems, especially those for data storage and retrieval. According to ACM ''Europe and'' ''Informatics Europe'', informatics is synonymous with computer science and computing as a profession, in which ...

pioneer. After gaining his master's degree in

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

in 1950 from the

École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris ESPCI Paris (officially the École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la Ville de Paris; ''The City of Paris Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution'') is a prestigious grande école founded in 1882 by ...

, ESPCI ParisTech Alumni 1950
/ref> he became a professor at the Informatics faculty at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

using

Mark I Mark I or Mark 1 often refers to the first version of a weapon or military vehicle, and is sometimes used in a similar fashion in civilian product development. In some instances, the Arabic numeral "1" is substituted for the Roman numeral "I". " ...

, the first automated computer ever built. In 1958 he was nominated director of the Bull Calculus Centre. In 1962 he coined the new term '' informatique''. In 1965 he became director of ''

CAP Europe A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

'', an Anglo-French company, as well as director of CAP France and CAP UK. After CAP France and CAP Europe fused with ''

Sogeti Sogeti is the Technology and Engineering Services Division of Capgemini. The Sogeti Group is an information technology consulting company specializing in local professional services, with headquarters in Paris, employing around 25,000 people a ...

'', and the consequent acquisition of Gemini Inc. (

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

), he became in 1975 Vice-President of Sogeti, a position he still holds today. Philippe Dreyfus is a member of the European Computing Services Association (ECSA) Council and was the founder of '' Syntec Informatique''. In 1962 he invented and defined the concept of

programming language A programming language is a system of notation for writing computer programs. Most programming languages are text-based formal languages, but they may also be graphical. They are a kind of computer language. The description of a programming ...

and in 1990 he introduced the concept of '' informativity'' (''Informativité'').

References

Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Harvard University faculty {{France-academic-bio-stub