{{Short description|British computer scientist (born 1953)}} {{distinguish|Úrsula Martín}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}} {{Use British English|date=August 2017}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Dame Ursula Martin | birth_name = Ursula Hilda Mary Webb | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|DBE|CBE|FRSE|FREng|size=100}} | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|08|03|df=y}} | birth_place = London, UK | image = <!--(filename only, i.e. without "File:" prefix)--> | image_size = | image_upright = | alt = | caption = | citizenship = British | fields = Mathematics<br />Computer Science | workplaces = {{Plainlist | * University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign * University of Manchester * Royal Holloway, University of London * University of St Andrews * Queen Mary, University of London * University of Cambridge * University of Oxford * University of Edinburgh}} | education = Abbey College, Malvern | alma_mater = {{Plainlist | * University of Cambridge (MA) * University of Warwick (PhD)}} | thesis_title = Automorphisms of Finitely-Generated Nilpotent Groups | thesis_url = https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.476751 | thesis_year = 1979 | doctoral_advisor = Stewart E. Stonehewer<ref name=mathgene/> | awards = Suffrage Science award (2018) | website = {{URL|https://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/martinu/}} }}
'''Dame Ursula Hilda Mary Martin''' (born 3 August 1953) is a British computer scientist, with research interests in theoretical computer science and formal methods. She is also known for her activities aimed at encouraging women in the fields of computing and mathematics. Since 2019, she has served as a professor at the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inf.ed.ac.uk/people/staff/Ursula_Martin.html|title = Ursula Martin|website=Inf.ed.ac.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.women.qmul.ac.uk/virtual/women/atoz/martinu.htm|title=Women at Queen Mary Exhibition Online - Featured Women - Ursula Martin|website=Women.qmul.ac.uk|access-date=3 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dcs.qmul.ac.uk/staff/publist.php?d=uhmm&type=academic|title=Publications|website=Dcs.qmul.ac.uk|access-date=3 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/people/ursula.martin|title=Prof. Ursula Martin CBE FREng FRSE FBCS FIET FIMA | Mathematical Institute|website=Maths.ox.ac.uk|access-date=3 November 2021}}</ref><ref name=dblp>{{DBLP}}</ref>
From 2014{{ndash}}2018, Martin was a professor of computer science in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford, and holds an EPSRC Established Career Fellowship. Prior to this she held a chair of Computer Science in the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary, University of London, where she was Vice-Principal of Science and Engineering, 2005{{ndash}}2009.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.women.qmul.ac.uk/virtual/women/atoz/martinu.htm | title=Professor Ursula Martin, Vice-Principal for Science & Engineering, QMUL | publisher=Queen Mary, University of London | location=UK | date=3 January 2013 | access-date=1 March 2015 }}</ref>
==Education== Martin was born in London on 3 August 1953 to Anne Louise (née Priestman) and Captain Geoffrey Richard Martin.<ref name=":0">{{Who's Who | author=Anon| title=Martin, Prof. Ursula Hilda Mary | id = U258429 | year = 2017 | doi =10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U258429 | edition = online Oxford University Press|location=Oxford}}</ref> She was educated at Abbey College at Malvern Wells. In 1975 she graduated with an MA from Girton College, Cambridge, and in 1979 with a PhD from the University of Warwick, both in mathematics.<ref name=PhD-476751>{{cite thesis|degree=PhD|publisher=University of Warwick|url=http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/140410/|title=Automorphisms of finitely generated nilpotent groups|first= Ursula Hilda Mary|last=Webb|date=1978|id={{EThOS|uk.bl.ethos.476751}}|website=warwick.ac.uk}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=mathgene>{{MathGenealogy}}</ref>
==Career and research== Martin began in mathematics working in group theory, later moving into string rewriting systems.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lK2hpcVAtX0C&pg=PA37|title=Geometric Group Theory|author1=Graham A. Niblo|author2=Martin A. Roller|date=30 July 1993|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-43529-1|page=37}}</ref> She has held academic posts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Manchester and Royal Holloway, University of London. She has made sabbatical visits to Massachusetts Institute of Technology and SRI International (Menlo Park). In 2004 she was a visiting fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/?id=48 | title=Dr Ursula Martin: Former Visiting Fellow | publisher=Oxford Internet Institute | location=UK | access-date=1 March 2015 }}</ref>
From 1992 to 2002, Martin was Professor of Computer Science at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She was the second female professor at the University, following Margaret Fairlie (Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 1940), since its foundation in 1411.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/martinu/ |title=Professor Ursula Martin CBE FREng FRSE DSc |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=maths.ox.ac.uk |access-date=July 4, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://special-collections.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2017/03/07/trailblazing-women-at-the-university-of-st-andrews-a-celebration-for-international-womens-day/ |title=Trailblazing Women at the University of St Andrews: A Celebration for International Women’s Day |author=St Andrews Special Collections |date=March 7, 2017 |website=special-collections.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk |access-date=July 4, 2024}}</ref>
From 2003 to 2005, Martin was seconded to the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory part-time and served as the director of the Women@CL project<ref>[http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/women/ Women@CL], University of Cambridge, UK.</ref> to lead local, national and international initiatives for women in computing, supported by Microsoft Research and Intel Cambridge Research. She was a Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge.
From 2014 to 2023, Martin was principal investigator on the EPSRC project ''The Social Machine of Mathematics'' on mathematics as a large-scale collaborative enterprise between humans and computers.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/martinu/| title=Ursula Martin's homepage| access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref> She was one of the organisers of the ''Big Proof'' programme series held at the Isaac Newton Institute in 2017<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.newton.ac.uk/event/bpr/| title=Big proof| website=Isaac Newton Institute| access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref> and 2025,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.newton.ac.uk/event/bprw03/| title=Big proof: formalizing mathematics at scale| website=Isaac Newton Institute| access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref> and at the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences in 2019.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.icms.org.uk/workshops/2019/big-proof| title=Big proof| website=International Centre for Mathematical Sciences| access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref>
Martin has served as an advisory editor for the ''Annals of Pure and Applied Logic'' journal (published by Elsevier) and on the editorial boards for ''The Journal of Computation and Mathematics'' (London Mathematical Society) and ''Formal Aspects of Computing'' (Springer-Verlag).
===Publications=== Her publications include:
* with Christopher Hollings and Adrian Rice, ''Ada Lovelace: The Making of a Computer Scientist'', Oxford: The Bodleian Library, 2018, 114 pp. {{ISBN|978-1851244881}}
===Honours and awards=== Martin was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to computer science.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=60009 |date=31 December 2011 |page=7 |supp=y }}</ref> In 2017 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE)<ref>{{Cite press release|title=RSE Welcomes 60 New Fellows|date=15 February 2017|publisher=Royal Society of Edinburgh|url=https://www.rse.org.uk/rse-welcomes-60-new-fellows/|access-date=28 March 2017}}</ref> and the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng).<ref>{{cite web |title=50 leaders in engineering elected to Academy Fellowship |url=http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/news-releases/2017/september/50-leaders-in-engineering-elected-to-academy-fello |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908003119/http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/news-releases/2017/september/50-leaders-in-engineering-elected-to-academy-fello |archive-date=8 September 2017 |access-date=12 September 2017 |website=Royal Academy of Engineering}}</ref> In 2025 she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the King's 2025 Birthday Honours for services to computer science.<ref>{{cite web| title=Birthday Honours List 2025 - High Awards |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-kings-birthday-honours-list-2025/birthday-honours-list-2025-high-awards-html |access-date=14 June 2025|website=gov.co.uk}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Ursula Hilda Mary}} Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Category:Alumni of the University of Warwick Category:British computer scientists Category:Formal methods people Category:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty Category:Academics of the University of Manchester Category:Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London Category:Academics of the University of St Andrews Category:Fellows of Newnham College, Cambridge Category:Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering Category:Female fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering Category:Academics of Queen Mary University of London Category:Members of the Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Category:British academic journal editors Category:British women computer scientists Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Category:21st-century British women engineers Category:21st-century British engineers Category:Women electrical engineers