Nationality Canadian Influenced Tony Hoare Role Computer scientist | Name Eric Hehner Fields Computer programming | |
 | ||
Born 16 September 1947
Ottawa, Ontario ( 1947-09-16 ) Alma mater Carleton University, University of Toronto Books A Practical Theory of Programming, The logic of programming Education Carleton University, University of Toronto | ||
Institutions University of Toronto | ||
Formal Methods of Software Design - Binary Theory [1/33]
Eric C. R. Hehner, called Rick, is a Canadian computer scientist.
Eric Hehner was born on 16 September 1947 in Ottawa. He studied mathematics and physics at Carleton University, obtaining his first degree in 1969. He gained a PhD in computer science from the University of Toronto in 1974. He then joined the faculty there, becoming a full professor in 1983. He became the Bell University Chair in Software Engineering in 2001.
Hehner's main research area is formal methods, particularly for programming. In 1979, Hehner invented a method of representing rational numbers with current University of Victoria professor Nigel Horspool called quote notation, which allows for easier arithmetic and produces no roundoff error in arithmetic calculations implementing a generalization of radix notation. Hehner has also influenced many other computer science researchers with his ideas, including Tony Hoare, especially with his concept of predicative programming.