Maurice Nivat

Maurice Paul Nivat (21 December 1937 – 21 September 2017) was a French computer scientist. His research in computer science spanned the areas of formal languages, programming language semantics, and discrete geometry. A 2006 citation for an honorary doctorate (Ph.D.) called Nivat one of the fathers of theoretical computer science. He was a professor at the University Paris Diderot until 2001.

Early life and education Nivat was born in Clermont-Ferrand, France. His parents were high-school teachers; his father taught languages while his mother taught mathematics. His sister, Aline, became a notable mathematician. In 1954, Nivat moved with his family to Paris. He remained as professor emeritus until his death in 2017.

He was involved in many endeavours in theoretical computer science in Europe: he was one of the founders of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS) in 1972 and organized the first International Colloquium on Automata, Languages and Programming (ICALP) conference in the same year at French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation (INRIA, then called IRIA) in Paris. In 1975, he was a founder of the journal Theoretical Computer Science. He was editor-in-chief of the journal for over 25 years. which specified, supports, and maintains the programming languages ALGOL 60 and ALGOL 68.

Awards Since 1983, Nivat was a corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences. and the University of Quebec at Montreal in 2006.