Tommaso Toffoli
Quick Facts
Biography
Tommaso Toffoli (Italian pronunciation: [tomˈmaːso ˈtoffoli]) is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Boston University where he joined the faculty in 1995. He has worked on cellular automata and the theory of artificial life (with Edward Fredkin and others), and is known for the invention of the Toffoli gate.
Early life and career
He was born in June, 1943 in Montereale Valcellina, in northeastern Italy, and was raised in Rome. He received his laurea in physics (equivalent to a Master's degree) from the University of Rome La Sapienza in 1967.
In 1976 he received a Ph.D. in computer and communication science from the University of Michigan, then in 1977 he joined the faculty of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In 1995 he joined the faculty of Boston University.
Personal life
Toffoli lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has two children.
Books
- Cellular Automata Machines: A New Environment for Modeling, MIT Press (1987), with Norman Margolus. ISBN 0-262-20060-0.