Chris Bishop is the Laboratory Director of Microsoft Research in Cambridge. He is also Professor of Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh, and a Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge.

After a PhD in quantum field theory, Chris worked on the physics of magnetically confined plasmas as part of the European fusion programme. From there he moved into the field of machine learning, which seeks to create intelligent systems by allowing computers to learn from data and from experience. Chris is the author of two leading machine learning text books: Neural Networks for Pattern Recognition (1995) and Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning (2006). He has also worked on a broad range of applications of machine learning in domains ranging from signal processing to healthcare. Chris is a keen advocate of public engagement in science, and regularly gives talks and demonstrations to general audiences.

Chris is an elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.