Brian Cantwell Smith

Brian Cantwell Smith
Fields	Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Philosophy, Information Science
Institutions	University of Toronto, Duke University, Indiana University, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, Stanford University
Alma mater	MIT
Thesis	Procedural Reflection in Programming Languages (vol. 1) (1982)
Doctoral advisor	Peter Szolovits
Known for	Computational reflection

Brian Cantwell Smith is a scholar in the fields of cognitive science, computer science, information studies, and philosophy, especially ontology. His research has focused on the foundations and philosophy of computing, both in the practice and theory of computer science, and in the use of computational metaphors in other fields, such as philosophy, cognitive science, physics, and art. Smith was Dean of the University of Toronto Faculty of Information from 2003–2008; he is currently professor of information, computer science, and philosophy at University of Toronto.

Smith's 1982 doctoral dissertation introduced the notion of computational reflection in programming languages, an area of active ongoing research in computer science. Past publications have addressed questions in computational reflection, meta-level architecture, programming languages, and knowledge representation. Over the last decade, his work has focused on fundamental issues in the foundations of epistemology, ontology, and metaphysics.

Smith received his BS, MS and PhD degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a founder of the Center for the Study of Language and Information at Stanford University, and a founder and first president of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. Smith served as principal scientist at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, in the 1980s.

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