Christopher Bishop

Career

Christopher Bishop completed a PhD in theoretical physics at the University of Edinburgh with a thesis on quantum field theory, then joined the Theoretical Physics Division of Culham Laboratory to research magnetically confined fusion plasmas. An interest in machine learning led Bishop to become Head of the Applied Neurocomputing Centre at AEA Technology, and later to a Chair at Aston University, where Bishop set up and led the Neural Computing Research Group.¹

Bishop joined Microsoft in 1997 and directed Microsoft Research Cambridge from 2015 to 2022, when Bishop founded the AI for Science team. As a Technical Fellow, Bishop oversees a global research portfolio on machine learning for the natural sciences, and also holds an honorary professorship in computer science at the University of Edinburgh and a fellowship of Darwin College, Cambridge.¹

Teaching and writing

Bishop wrote the textbooks Neural Networks for Pattern Recognition (1995) and Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning (2006), and co-wrote Deep Learning: Foundations and Concepts with Hugh Bishop. The Microsoft Research page for Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning describes it as an introduction for advanced undergraduates and first-year PhD students with a Bayesian perspective, and offers exercise solutions and figures for course instructors.¹²

Bishop delivered the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in 2008. Bishop was also a founding member of the UK AI Council and in 2019 was appointed to the Council for Science and Technology.¹

Work and contributions

• Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning Published research

  Author of the 2006 textbook (Springer). Bishop's Microsoft Research book page describes it as an introduction to pattern recognition and machine learning with a Bayesian perspective, and provides chapter slides for course tutors.²¹

• Deep Learning: Foundations and Concepts Published research

  Co-author of this deep learning textbook, featured on Bishop's Microsoft Research page as a new book.¹

• Neural Networks for Pattern Recognition

  Author of a machine learning textbook published by Oxford University Press in 1995.¹

Timeline

1. 1995Published the textbook Neural Networks for Pattern Recognition with Oxford University Press.¹
2. 1997Joined Microsoft Research.¹
3. 2006Published the textbook Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning with Springer.¹²
4. 2008Delivered the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures.¹
5. 2015Became Lab Director of Microsoft Research Cambridge.¹
6. 2019Appointed to the Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology.¹
7. 2022Founded the Microsoft Research AI for Science team.¹

Other documented roles

Roles the sources document that are not confirmed as current.

• Lab Director (2015–2022), Microsoft Research Cambridge¹
• Chair in the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics; founder and leader of the Neural Computing Research Group, Aston University¹
• Head of the Applied Neurocomputing Centre, AEA Technology¹

Honors and recognition

• Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering · Royal Academy of Engineering, 2004¹
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh · Royal Society of Edinburgh, 2007¹
• Fellow of the Royal Society · Royal Society, 2017¹

Where they work

• Microsoft 75 people in the wiki
• University of Edinburgh 1 person in the wiki

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