David MacKay

"Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms"

David MacKay (1967–2016) was a professor of natural philosophy at the University of Cambridge and served as Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change. His textbook on information theory and learning algorithms, freely available online, shaped a generation of researchers in probabilistic machine learning. He also authored 'Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air', applying rigorous quantitative reasoning to energy policy.