John Henry Holland (February 2, 1929 – August 9, 2015) was an American scientist and professor of psychology and electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He was a pioneer in what became known as genetic algorithms.

Biography

John Henry Holland was born on February 2, 1929 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the elder child of son of Gustave A. Holland (b. July 24, 1896, Russian Poland) and Mildred P. Gfroerer (b. July 1, 1901, Columbus Grove, Ohio). He had one younger sister, Shirley Ann "Hollie" Holland (born c. 1931). Holland studied physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a B.S. degree in 1950. He then studied Mathematics at the University of Michigan, receiving an M.A. in 1954. In 1959, he received the first computer science Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He was a Professor of psychology and Professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He held visiting positions at the Rowland Institute for Science and the University of Bergen. According to Carl Simon, professor of mathematics, economics, complex systems and public policy, "Holland is best known for his role as a founding father of the complex systems approach. In particular, he developed genetic algorithms and learning classifier systems. These foundational building blocks of an evolutionary approach to optimization are now included in all texts on optimization and programming." Holland was a member of the Board of Trustees and Science Board of the Santa Fe Institute and a fellow of the World Economic Forum. Holland received the 1961 Louis E. Levy Medal from The Franklin Institute, and the MacArthur Fellowship in 1992. He was profiled extensively in chapters 5 and 7 of the book Complexity (1993), by M. Mitchell Waldrop. Holland died on August 9, 2015, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Work

Holland frequently lectured around the world on his own research, and on research and open questions in complex adaptive systems (CAS) studies. In 1975, he wrote the ground-breaking book on genetic algorithms, "Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems". He also developed Holland's schema theorem.

Publications

Holland authored a number of books about complex adaptive systems, including: Articles, a selection: