# Gaston Gonnet

> Computer Scientist, Entrepreneur (born 1948)

**Wikidata**: [Q5526736](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5526736)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaston_Gonnet)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/gaston-gonnet

## Summary
Gaston Gonnet is a Uruguayan-born computer scientist and entrepreneur, best known for co-creating the Maple computer algebra system. He has made significant contributions to symbolic computation and algorithm development. Gonnet is also a professor and researcher at ETH Zurich.

## Biography
- Born: September 22, 1948 in Montevideo, Uruguay
- Nationality: Uruguayan
- Education: University of Waterloo (PhD)
- Known for: Co-creating Maple, Darwin programming language
- Employer(s): ETH Zurich, University of Waterloo
- Field(s): Computer science, symbolic computation, algorithms

## Contributions
Gaston Gonnet co-created the Maple computer algebra system in 1982, which has become one of the most widely used mathematical software packages in education and research. He developed the Darwin programming language in 1991, designed for symbolic and numeric computation. At ETH Zurich, Gonnet has supervised numerous doctoral students who have become influential in computer science, including Nivio Ziviani and Ricardo Baeza-Yates. His research has focused on algorithm development, particularly in the areas of text searching and bioinformatics. Gonnet has published extensively in these fields and holds several patents related to his work.

## FAQs
### Q: What is Gaston Gonnet most famous for?
A: Gaston Gonnet is most famous for co-creating the Maple computer algebra system, which revolutionized symbolic mathematical computation and is widely used in academia and industry.

### Q: Where does Gaston Gonnet currently work?
A: Gaston Gonnet is a professor at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, where he continues his research in computer science and supervises doctoral students.

### Q: What is the Darwin programming language?
A: Darwin is a programming language created by Gaston Gonnet in 1991, designed specifically for symbolic and numeric computation, building on his work with Maple.

## Why They Matter
Gaston Gonnet's creation of Maple fundamentally changed how mathematicians, scientists, and engineers perform symbolic computations. Before Maple, such calculations were done manually or with limited tools. His work democratized access to advanced mathematical capabilities, enabling breakthroughs in research and education across multiple disciplines. The software has been continuously developed for over four decades and remains a cornerstone of computational mathematics. Additionally, his development of the Darwin language and his mentorship of numerous doctoral students have extended his influence throughout the computer science community, particularly in algorithm development and bioinformatics.

## Notable For
- Co-creator of Maple computer algebra system (1982)
- Developer of Darwin programming language (1991)
- Supervised influential computer scientists including Nivio Ziviani and Ricardo Baeza-Yates
- Professor at ETH Zurich with extensive research in algorithms and bioinformatics
- Holds multiple patents in computational methods

## Body
### Early Life and Education
Gaston Gonnet was born on September 22, 1948, in Montevideo, Uruguay. He pursued his higher education at the University of Waterloo in Canada, where he earned his PhD.

### Career Highlights
Gonnet's most significant contribution is the co-creation of Maple, a computer algebra system that enables symbolic mathematical computation. This software has been in continuous development since 1982 and is used worldwide in academic and industrial settings. In 1991, he created the Darwin programming language, specifically designed for symbolic and numeric computation tasks.

### Academic Leadership
At ETH Zurich, Gonnet has supervised numerous doctoral students who have gone on to become prominent figures in computer science. His doctoral students include Nivio Ziviani (Brazilian computer scientist), Ricardo Baeza-Yates (Chilean computer scientist), and Christophe Dessimoz, among others. This mentorship has created a significant academic lineage in the field.

### Research Contributions
Gonnet's research has spanned several areas including algorithm development, text searching, and bioinformatics. He has published extensively in these fields and holds multiple patents related to computational methods. His work has been particularly influential in developing efficient algorithms for searching and analyzing biological data.

### Professional Recognition
Gonnet's contributions have been recognized through his inclusion in various academic databases and his maintenance of a significant presence in the computer science community through his website at ETH Zurich and his numerous publications indexed in databases like Scopus and DBLP.

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## References

1. Mathematics Genealogy Project
2. [Source](https://viaf.org/viaf/data/viaf-20230206-links.txt.gz)
3. Virtual International Authority File
4. CiNii Research
5. [Source](http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102746797)
6. Google Knowledge Graph
7. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File