Gordon David Plotkin is a theoretical computer scientist best known for his structural approach to computer programming languages, which describes how the individual steps of a computer-based calculation takes place. Gordon has also contributed to the fields of artificial intelligence, logic and linguistics.

Gordon’s work established a semantic framework for programming languages. This helped to standardise computer science and allows data to be shared and reused across applications. In 1987, Gordon co-founded the Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science (LFCS) at the University of Edinburgh with Royal Society Fellows, Rodney Burstall and Robin Milner. LFCS research includes the study of theories important to the analysis and design of computing systems.

Winner of the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award, Gordon went on to receive the Royal Society Milner Award in 2012 for his “fundamental research into programming semantics with lasting impact on both the principles and design of programming languages.”