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 her journey by creating a small computer while she was taking a break from her studies at Selwyn College, Cambridge. She later joined Acorn Computers and played a big role in making 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 to parents who were teachers—one taught English and the other taught science. She grew up in a small village called Burn Bridge in North Yorkshire. After finishing high school at Harrogate Grammar School, she went to Selwyn College, Cambridge. She started by studying mathematics for two years and then switched to computer science for her final year. During her time there, she joined a group called the Microprocessor society.

Career

Sophie Wilson designed and built two electronic systems before going to university. During her first year at university, she created 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, with Wilson starting at the company in 1979. She helped develop many parts of early Acorn computers, including basic programming systems and tools.

Wilson played a key role in creating the prototype that won a contract with the British Broadcasting Corporation for their computer education project. Working quickly, 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 important awards for her work. In 2012, she was given the Fellow Award by the Computer History Museum in California 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 received the Lovie Lifetime Achievement Award for inventing the ARM processor.

Wilson was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for her services to computing. In 2022, she and her colleagues won the Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering in Washington D.C. for their work on RISC chips. In 2024, she helped start the Sophie Wilson scholarship for Scientific Computing to support students studying at the University of Cambridge.

Personal life

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