Paying tribute to Professor Margaret Boden OBE ScD FBA, Chair of the Royal Institution, Sir Richard Catlow, said:
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the recent death of Professor Margaret (Maggie) Boden at the age of 88.
“Maggie was a pioneering figure in cognitive science and artificial intelligence, and a valued contributor to the Royal Institution as Chair of Council, Vice President and Discourse speaker.
“Maggie brought remarkable interdisciplinary expertise and visionary thinking to our community. Her ability to bridge psychology, philosophy, and computer science made her presentations both intellectually rigorous and accessible, embodying the spirit of the Ri’s lecture programme. She gave two Friday Evening Discourses about her subject, one on 23 November 1990 titled, ‘Creativity and computers’ and one on 5 April 2002 titled, ‘Is artificial life possible?’.
“Maggie's lifelong commitment to furthering understanding across disciplines was evident throughout her distinguished career. She joined the Royal Institution Council, our then governing body, in March 1992 and remained involved in leading the organisation as Chair and also as Vice President until 1995
This same commitment to inspiring and educating others that we saw at the Ri was evident in her academic career at the University of Sussex, where she became a founding figure in cognitive science, teaching and inspiring generations of students while remaining an active research Professor well into her later years. A pioneering woman in academia, Maggie championed and inspired fellow female academics throughout her career.
“We feel privileged to have had Maggie as part of our Discourse family and as a lifelong supporter and former Chair who helped to inspire so many people in science. Her legacy of curiosity, interdisciplinary thinking, and commitment to sharing knowledge will continue to inspire our public programme and our community.
“Our thoughts are with Maggie’s family, friends, students, collaborators and the many lives she touched through her remarkable career.”