Introduction

The start of Artificial Intelligence (AI) research at Edinburgh can be traced back to a small research group established at 4 Hope Park Square in 1963 under the leadership of Donald Michie. In 1965 this became the Experimental Programming Unit with Michie as Director. In 1966 the Department of Machine Intelligence and Perception (DMIP) was formed, funded by a large SRC grant held by Donald Michie, Christopher Longuet-Higgins and Richard Gregory. Bernard Meltzer set up the Metamathematics Unit in the Faculty of Science in the mid 1960s, and was the founding editor of the Artificial Intelligence Journal in 1970. At this time Edinburgh was one of the few centres in the world working on AI.

Also in 1963, the University created the Computer Unit, and Sidney Michaelson was appointed its Director. In 1966 the Unit was split into the Department of Computer Science (DCS), led by Michaelson, and the Edinburgh Regional Computing Centre. Sidney Michaelson was appointed the first Professor of Computer Science in 1967.

In 1969 Christopher Longuet-Higgins founded the School of Epistemics, an interdisciplinary group which brought together people with an interest in the mind. Longuet-Higgins defined epistemics as "the construction of formal models of the processes - perceptual, intellectual, and linguistic - by which knowledge and understanding are achieved and communicated". In 1985 the School of Epistemics became the Centre for Cognitive Science.

In 1998, different activities around the science of information (including computer science, artificial intelligence, cognitive science and others) were brought together and a new Division (later School) of Informatics was formed.

Introduction

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