Alex Fraser (1923 – 14 July 2002) was a major innovator in the development of the computer modeling of population genetics and his work has stimulated many advances in genetic research over the past decades. His efforts in the 1950s and 1960s had a profound impact on the development of computational models of evolutionary systems. His seminal work, "Simulation of genetic systems by automatic digital computers" (1958), is quoted in the literature to this day. Fraser was born in London, England, and lived in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

for most of his youth. He studied at the University of New Zealand, and later went to the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, and subsequently to the

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications. CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...

(CSIRO) in

Sydney, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean ...

. It was at the CSIRO where Fraser made his seminal contributions to evolutionary computation. His earliest work was done on the SILIAC computer that was installed for the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

in 1956. The SILIAC was the

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n cousin to the ILLIAC machine that was developed at the University of Illinois. The machine was said to be running well when one could hear a 'rhythmic clicking of the relays inside it.' The clicking indicated that the computer was processing the iterations of the program correctly. Fraser began using it to simulate genetic selection processes. Fraser also starred in multiple TV shows during the early days of Australian television. His time with "Science in Close-Up" ended in a dramatic departure when censors refused to permit airing of a childbirth. Such footage is commonplace today but was forbidden at the time and that was why he walked out of the show. A surprisingly popular show was his "Doorway to Knowledge" as it was fairly sophisticated science that was broadcast at eleven o'clock in the morning. He achieved a certain measure of celebrity through the shows and he turned up quite regularly in the Sydney Morning Herald, the city's primary newspaper. In the 1960s, Fraser moved to the United States to act as visiting professor at the University of California at Davis. In 1967, he took over the Headship of Biological Sciences at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

. In 1983, Fraser suffered a stroke which left him unable to converse normally. The timing of this event was most tragic because Fraser was left unable to engage his colleagues, just at the time when interest in evolutionary models and simulations was beginning to rise within computer science. In 1999, Fraser received the 1999 IEEE Neural Networks Council Pioneer Award in Evolutionary Computation. He died 14 July 2002 at the age of 78, as a result of complications from a heart attack.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Alex 1923 births 2002 deaths Australian computer scientists Alumni of the University of Edinburgh British expatriates in Hong Kong British expatriates in New Zealand British expatriates in Australia British expatriate academics in the United States