Tim Sheard

Tim Sheard is a Full Professor in the Computer Science Department at Portland State University, where he has been actively contributing to programming language research and education since at least the early 2000s. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (1985) and maintains an office in FAB 120-04.

His educational background includes a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1985, establishing his foundation in computer science and programming language theory.

Professor Sheard's research primarily focuses on dependently typed programming languages, with his Omega language serving as a significant contribution to the field. His work explores how Generalized Algebraic Data Structures can be used to construct, maintain, and propagate semantic properties of programs using the Curry-Howard Isomorphism. He has also made substantial contributions to meta-programming systems, being the creator of MetaML and designer of Template Haskell. His research spans theoretical foundations of programming languages, type systems, staged computation, and practical implementations of advanced language features.

An analysis of his recent publications reveals a consistent focus on dependently typed programming, with significant attention to Omega language development and applications. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical implementations, particularly in the areas of type-level computation, generalized algebraic data types, and staged programming. The trend shows increasing sophistication in handling dependent types while maintaining practical applicability for real-world programming challenges.

Professor Sheard has been actively involved in academic service, having served as General Chair of the Generative Programming and Component Engineering Conference (GPCE'04) and organizing the ICFP programming contests in 2002 and 2008. His research has been supported by National Science Foundation grants (Nos. 0910500, CCF-0541447, and 0613969), indicating significant external recognition of his work's importance.

He has advised several doctoral students including Chuan-Kai Lin, Nathan Mishra-Linger, Emir Pasalic, and Walid Taha, whose dissertations focused on type systems, meta-programming, and staged computation. His teaching portfolio includes advanced courses in programming languages, functional programming, and mathematical logic, reflecting his deep expertise across theoretical and practical aspects of computer science.