Sophie Wilson

Sophie Wilson

Sophie Mary Wilson, born Roger Wilson in June 1957, is an English computer scientist known for her important work in technology. She helped design the instructions that make modern computers work, especially for the ARM architecture, which is used in many devices today.

Wilson started by creating a small computer while taking a break from her studies at Selwyn College, Cambridge. She later joined Acorn Computers and helped make the BBC Microcomputer. She also created BBC BASIC, a language that made it easier for people to tell computers what to do.

In 1983, Wilson began working on a new kind of computer design called reduced instruction set computer (RISC). This design became very popular and is now used in most smartphones and many other small devices, known as embedded systems. Her work helped shape the technology we use every day.

In 2011, she was recognized as one of the most important women in tech history by Maximum PC. For her amazing contributions, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2019.

Early life and education

Sophie Wilson was born in Leeds. Her parents were teachers—one taught English and the other taught science. She grew up in a small village called Burn Bridge in North Yorkshire. After high school at Harrogate Grammar School, she went to Selwyn College, Cambridge. She studied mathematics for two years and then switched to computer science. While she was there, she joined a group called the Microprocessor society.

Career

Sophie Wilson designed and built two electronic systems before she went to university. In her first year at university, she made a small system to control cow feed using a microprocessor.

Wilson’s work caught the attention of Hermann Hauser, who encouraged her to develop her designs further. This led to the creation of the Acorn Micro-Computer, and Wilson started working at the company in 1979. She helped develop many parts of early Acorn computers, including basic programming systems and tools.

Wilson helped create the prototype that won a contract with the British Broadcasting Corporation for their computer education project. She and her team built a working prototype just in time to show it to the BBC. This led to the creation of the BBC Micro, and Wilson developed its operating system and programming language.

In 1983, Wilson began designing the instruction set for one of the first reduced instruction set computer processors, the Acorn RISC Machine (ARM). This processor became very successful and is now used in many smartphones.

Honours and awards

Sophie Wilson received many awards for her work. In 2012, she was given an award by the Computer History Museum for her work on the BBC Micro computer and the ARM processor. She became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2009 and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2013. In 2014, she won an award for inventing the ARM processor.

Sophie was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for her work in computing. In 2022, she and her team won the Charles Stark Draper Prize for their work on RISC chips. In 2024, she started a scholarship to help students studying scientific computing at the University of Cambridge.

Personal life

Sophie Wilson made an important change in her life in 1994. She enjoys taking photographs and works with a local theatre group. She helps with costumes and sets and has acted in several shows. She had a small acting role as a pub landlady in a BBC television drama called Micro Men. In the show, a younger version of her was played by another actor.