I was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher and theoretical biologist. I was highly influential in the development of theoretical computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of algorithm and computation with the Turing machine, which can be considered a model of a general-purpose computer. I am widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science.

Born in London, I was raised in southern England. I graduated from King's College, Cambridge, and in 1938, earned a doctorate degree from Princeton University. During World War II, I worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, Britain's codebreaking centre that produced Ultra intelligence. I led Hut 8, the section responsible for German naval cryptanalysis. I devised techniques for speeding up the breaking of German ciphers, including improvements to the pre-war Polish bomba method, an electromechanical machine that could find settings for the Enigma machine. I played a crucial role in cracking intercepted messages that enabled the Allies to defeat the Axis powers in many engagements, including the Battle of the Atlantic.