PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Edwin Hancock

Also known as Edwin R. Hancock

Edwin Hancock trained as a physicist, and at the University of York he worked on how pattern recognition and machine learning can use graphs, trees and strings. Before joining York as a lecturer, he worked at the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory from 1981 to 1991. He took a chair in computer vision in 1998, and the International Association for Pattern Recognition made him a Fellow in 2000. In 2018 he received the Pierre Devijver Award, and in 2021 the Royal Academy of Engineering elected him a Fellow. He died of cancer in 2024, at the age of 67.

Timeline

  1. 1977–1981

    A physics doctorate at Durham

    At Durham University he earns a physics BSc in 1977 and a PhD in high-energy physics in 1981.

  2. 1981–1991

    A researcher at Rutherford-Appleton

    From 1981 to 1991 he works as a researcher at the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, on high-energy nuclear physics and pattern recognition.

  3. 1991

    A Pattern Recognition Award

    In 1991 he is awarded the Seventeenth Annual Pattern Recognition Award.

  4. 1991–2018

    A computer vision chair at York

    He moves to the University of York as a lecturer in 1991, and he takes a chair in computer vision there in 1998. He retires in 2018 as an emeritus professor. His research focuses on how pattern recognition and machine learning can use data in the form of graphs, trees and strings.

  5. 2000

    A Fellow of the IAPR

    The International Association for Pattern Recognition names him a Fellow in 2000, for contributions to structural and statistical pattern recognition and to computer vision.

  6. 2018

    A Pierre Devijver Award

    In 2018 he receives the Pierre Devijver Award from the International Association for Pattern Recognition.

  7. 2021

    A Royal Academy of Engineering fellowship

    He is elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2021. His contributions to computer science include computer vision and pattern recognition.

  8. 2024

    Death from cancer

    He dies of cancer in 2024, at the age of 67.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Edwin Hancock yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Edwin Hancock - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Edwin Hancock | IEEE Computer Society computer.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Chronological List of IAPR Fellows – International Association for Pattern Recognition iapr.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Professor Edwin Hancock FREng raeng.org.uk. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. York academic elected as Royal Academy of Engineering Fellow - News and events, University of York york.ac.uk. Checked 14 October 2026.