Professor Milner, who received an Honorary Fellowship of Swansea University in July 2004, is widely regarded as among the most original computer scientists in the world.

Born in 1934 in Plymouth, Professor Milner was educated at Eton College. He won a scholarship to King's College, Cambridge in 1952.  His research career began when he joined the Computer Science Department at Swansea University in 1968, where he worked with Professor David Cooper on an SRC research project entitled "Questions and Proofs Concerning Computer Programs." 

Professor Cooper, who had arrived from Carnegie-Mellon University, was a pioneer working on the problem of verifying software - a problem still regarded as a Grand Challenge in computer science today. The problem has required scientists to change the way they think about programming and software since that time, and several important changes can be attributed to the work of Professor Milner. Another member of this influential Swansea group was the mathematician Dr Roger Hindley, who retired from Swansea a few years ago. The Hindley-Milner algorithm is an internationally renowned legacy of this period.

In 1971 Professor Milner became a Research Associate at Stanford University, where he developed a pioneering verification system called the Logic for Computable Functions (LCF). Two years later he moved to Edinburgh University, where he oversaw the development of the Edinburgh LCF system, and developed a radically new mathematical theory of parallel processing called the Calculus of Communicating Systems.  He was awarded the British Computer Society Technical Award in 1987 for the development of new language ML designed in connection with the LCF system. 

Professor Milner was given the A.M. Turing Award in 1991; this is the premier technical prize in Computer Science sponsored by the American Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).  By then, he had already become a Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and a founder member of Academia Europaea.

In 1995, after 22 years at Edinburgh, Robin returned to Cambridge as Professor of Computer Science and Fellow of his old College, and served as Head of Department. He continued to pursue his research interests after his retirement in 2001, and was Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at Cambridge, and part-time Professor at the Informatics Forum, University of Edinburgh.

Professor John Tucker, Head of the School of Physical Sciences at Swansea University, said: "Robin was one of the true pioneers of Computer Science. He started his remarkable research career in Swansea and always maintained a strong connection with the University. Some of his finest students have joined the faculty here such as Professor Moller.  Robin was last here in November 2009 to give a well-received series of five advanced lectures.

Our sympathies go to his family, especially to his children, Chloë and Barney. He will be greatly missed by his many friends and colleagues within the academic community."

Professor Robin Milner FRS died on Saturday 20th March, in Cambridge.