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Prof. Dr. Anne-Julia Zwierlein has held the Chair of English Literature and Culture at the University of Regensburg since 2009, after earlier appointments at the Universities of Münster and Bamberg. She is Dean of Research (2013-15) and an elected member of the DFG Review Board ‘European and American Literatures’ (2020-24). Her institutional affiliations also include visiting fellowships at Oxford, Sheffield, Birkbeck and Swansea. Education & Qualifications: Ph.D. in English Literature, University of Münster (2000, summa cum laude , dissertation prize) Habilitation, University of Regensburg (2007) Studies at Universities of Bonn, Oxford (Exeter College) and Münster (1991-1996) Scholarships: Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, DAAD Research Focus: Zwierlein’s work bridges early modern and Victorian literature with interdisciplinary inquiries into science, medicine, gender, postcolonialism, and orality. Recent projects centre on Victorian cultures of lecturing and mass print culture , funded by major DFG grants. She has edited/co-edited 14 collections, produced 3 monographs and c. 70 articles, and co-directs the Lecturing Women in Victorian Periodicals Database . Scientific Awards & Recognitions: Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize (DFG, 2005) Feodor Lynen Fellowship (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, 2005/06) Irene Samuel Award (Milton Society of America, 2002 & 2009) Dissertation Prize, University of Münster (2000) Neuberufene Professorinnen Award, Bavarian State Ministry (2009) Doctoral & Post-doctoral Supervision: Zwierlein has mentored 5 completed Habilitations and 16 completed doctorates, and currently supervises numerous MA and BA theses, covering topics from Victorian science writing to post-Brexit fiction. Laboratories & Research Groups: Professorial member of the DFG Research Training Group “Pre-Modern Metropolitanism” (GRK 2337, 2017-25) and principal investigator of the DFG project “Lecturing Females” (2015-22).

• Early Modern English Literature
• Victorian Literature and Culture
• Science and Literature
• +5 more

Sven Schewe is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Liverpool, affiliated with the School of Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Computer Science. He leads the AI Section and is a founding member and former leader of the Verification Group. He also has secondary affiliations with the Algorithms, Complexity Theory and Optimisation Group and the Institute for Risk and Uncertainty. Research Interests: His research centers on automata theory and game theory, particularly their applications in the verification and synthesis of reactive and safety-critical systems. He investigates infinite-duration games, automata over infinite words and trees, and develops algorithms and tools for automated verification, synthesis, and learning of optimal control strategies. His work extends to reinforcement learning with formal guarantees, cyber-physical systems, and AI safety. Recent Research Trends: His recent publications demonstrate a strong integration of formal methods with machine learning, particularly in adversarial training, neural network robustness, and model-free reinforcement learning under omega-regular objectives. He also applies formal reasoning to interdisciplinary domains such as chemical space exploration and materials science. Scientific Awards: Finalist for the ERCIM Cor Baayen Award 2010 Dr. Eduard Martin Preis 2009 GI Dissertation Award 2008 Advising and Grants: He actively supervises numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. He is Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Investigator (CI) on multiple major grants, including EPSRC Programme Grants, Royal Society Fellowships, and Horizon Europe projects. His funded research spans topics such as game theory, verification, synthesis, reinforcement learning, and risk analysis. He has hosted visiting researchers and collaborated internationally with institutions in Germany, France, India, Taiwan, and the US. Labs and Teams: He co-founded and led the Verification Group and previously led the AI Section at the University of Liverpool. These groups focus on formal methods, automata, games, and their applications in AI and safety-critical systems.

• Automata Theory
• Game Theory
• Formal Verification
• +12 more

Claudius Gros is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt. He holds a PhD from ETH Zurich and has held academic positions at Indiana University, University of Dortmund, and Saarland University. His research focuses on complex systems theory, physics of AI, self-organized robotics, and the Genesis Project, an interstellar mission concept for establishing life on exoplanets. His work bridges theoretical physics with interdisciplinary applications, including epidemiology modeling and societal dynamics analysis. Key contributions include the textbook Complex and Adaptive Dynamical Systems (Springer) and foundational studies on attention mechanisms in AI architectures. Education: Bachelor/Master: ETH Zurich, Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics PhD: ETH Zurich, 1985 (Advisor: T. Maurice Rice) Postdoc: Indiana University, 1988–1990 (With Steve Girvin and Allan MacDonald) Research Interests: Physics of AI : Analysis of transformer models, attention mechanisms, and neural scaling laws. Complex Systems : Epidemic models, dormancy dynamics in cellular automata (Spore Life), and self-organized robotics. Genesis Project : Feasibility of interstellar probes to seed life on exoplanets, magnetic sail deceleration. Societal Dynamics : Strategy condensation, envy-driven class stratification, and pandemic policy modeling. Articles Overview: Recent work spans AI physics (attention mechanisms, neural scaling), complex systems (epidemic oscillations, dormancy models), and robotics (self-organization principles). Themes include theoretical frameworks for embodied systems, computational models of societal behavior, and interdisciplinary applications of dynamical systems theory. Advising & Grants: Claudius Gros has advised multiple researchers, with co-authored papers featuring collaborators like O. Neumann, D.H. Nevermann, and B. Sandor. His grants include funding for Genesis Project studies and robotics research. Labs & Teams: His research group focuses on Physics of AI and Self-Organized Robotics , with active projects on embodied robots, neural network dynamics, and interstellar mission feasibility.

• Physics of AI
• Complex Systems Theory
• Self-Organized Robotics
• +6 more

Robert Raussendorf is a Professor at the Institute of Theoretical Physics, part of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Leibniz University Hannover. He leads the research group focusing on quantum information, particularly measurement-based quantum computation (MBQC) and quantum fault-tolerance. His work includes the invention of the one-way quantum computer (QCc), a paradigm where quantum computations are performed via local measurements on entangled cluster states. Raussendorf’s research bridges foundational quantum mechanics with practical applications, emphasizing the role of contextuality and resource states in quantum advantage. Research Interests: His primary areas include quantum computation models, quantum cellular automata, topological error correction, and the foundational aspects of quantum mechanics. He explores how quantum principles like entanglement and contextuality enable computational power, with recent focus on symmetry-protected systems and efficient quantum architectures. Articles Trends: Recent publications highlight advancements in measurement-based computation, error correction strategies, and theoretical frameworks like contextuality and cohomology. Notable work includes high-error-threshold architectures and the application of dual-unitary circuits in one-dimensional systems. Lab/Team: His team includes postdocs (e.g., Markus Frembs, Martin Plávala) and doctoral candidates (e.g., Arnab Adhikary, Ruben Campos Delgado), collaborating on topics like quantum error tolerance, computational phases of matter, and algorithm optimization. The group also engages in interdisciplinary projects with institutions like the Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute.

• Quantum Information
• Measurement-Based Quantum Computation
• Quantum Fault-Tolerance
• +4 more

Corina Cirstea is a Professor in the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, where she has been a faculty member since 2003. She holds a DPhil in Computation from the University of Oxford and previously served as a Junior Research Fellow at St. John's College, Oxford. She is the Programme Leader for the BEng/MEng in Software Engineering and teaches core modules including Algorithmics, Theory of Computing, and Automated Software Verification. Education: DPhil in Computation, University of Oxford (2000) Junior Research Fellowship, St. John's College, Oxford (1999–2003) Her research focuses on logic and models of computation, particularly coalgebras and their applications in automated verification and synthesis. She explores coalgebraic temporal logics, trace semantics, and formal modeling of real-time and resource-aware systems, primarily using Event-B. Her work bridges theoretical foundations with practical system verification, especially in safety-critical domains. The analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong trend in formal methods, with consistent contributions to real-time system modeling, refinement techniques, and coalgebraic semantics. Her work integrates theoretical depth with engineering applications, particularly in automated verification and system design. Scientific Service and Recognition: Member of the editorial board, Compositionality journal Member of IFIP Working Group 1.3 Member of CALCO Steering Committee Member of CMCS Steering Committee Program Committee member for SEFM 2021, MFPS 2021, HIGHLIGHTS 2021, ICALP 2021, MFCS 2021, ACT 2020, ICE 2020, CMCS 2020, FOSSACS 2020 She advises PhD students including Chenyang Zhu and Eman Alkhammash, and has been involved in multiple research grants focused on formal verification, real-time systems, and software engineering. She collaborates extensively with researchers such as Michael Butler and Ichiro Hasuo. Her work contributes to both foundational theory and practical tooling in formal methods. She is associated with research groups and initiatives in formal methods and theoretical computer science at the University of Southampton, particularly within the broader context of software engineering and system verification.

• Logic in Computer Science
• Coalgebras
• Modal Logics
• +7 more

Elena Zucca is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering (DIBRIS) at the University of Genoa, Italy. She has a strong research focus on programming languages, particularly in the areas of type systems, formal semantics, and coinduction. Her work bridges theoretical foundations with practical implementations, as evidenced by her publications on topics like Featherweight Java, corecursion, and soundness proofs for programming language features. Her research interests span the theoretical and practical aspects of programming languages. She investigates the formal semantics of programming constructs, particularly focusing on the boundaries between finite and infinite computations. Her work on coinduction and corecursion explores how to safely handle infinite data structures and computations. She has made significant contributions to understanding soundness in programming language features, especially in relation to resource-aware semantics. Her research often combines theoretical foundations with practical implementations, as seen in her work on Featherweight Java extensions and effect systems. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on advanced type systems and semantics. Her work explores the theoretical boundaries of programming language features while maintaining practical relevance. A recurring theme is the relationship between finite and infinite computations, with particular attention to soundness guarantees. Her research has evolved from foundational work on lambda calculus and object-oriented programming toward more specialized topics like graded types, coeffects, and resource-aware semantics. Elena Zucca has been actively involved in the programming languages research community, serving on program committees for major conferences including SPLASH, ECOOP, and POPL. She has mentored students through doctoral courses on Declarative Programming and (Co)Induction. Her research has been supported through participation in various academic programs, including the SEPL research program mentioned in her course materials. She teaches a diverse range of courses at the University of Genoa, from undergraduate to doctoral levels. Her teaching portfolio includes Automata Theory and Computability, Algorithms Analysis and Design, Principles and Paradigms of Programming Languages, and specialized doctoral courses on Declarative Programming and (Co)Induction. Her courses often reflect her research interests, covering theoretical foundations of programming languages, formal methods, and advanced programming paradigms.

• Programming Languages
• Type Systems
• Formal Semantics
• +6 more

Dr. Edon Kelmendi is a Lecturer in Computer Science at Queen Mary University of London. He holds a doctorate from Laboratoire Bordelais de Recherche en Informatique and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Warsaw, University of Oxford, and Max Planck Institute. His research focuses on theoretical computer science, particularly dynamical systems, logics in CS, and game theory. Kelmendi's work examines algorithmic verification of dynamical systems, automata theory, and game-theoretic models. His recent publications demonstrate strong focus on linear dynamical systems and injective piecewise affine maps. He received the Distinguished Paper Award at LICS 2022 for his computational contributions to linear recurrence sequences.

• Dynamical Systems
• Logics in Computer Science
• Game Theory
• +3 more

Jiří Šíma is a senior scientist at the Department of Theoretical Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Czech Academy of Sciences. He holds the academic title of Research Professor (DrSc.) and has been a key researcher at ICS CAS since 1994. He has also served as head of the department (2010–2012, 2021–2023) and has held external lecturing positions at Charles University, Masaryk University, and Czech Technical University. His educational achievements include a CSc. (Ph.D.) in 1993, an Associate Professor qualification (doc.) and RNDr. in 2000, and a DrSc. in 2009 from the Slovak University of Technology. These qualifications reflect his deep expertise in theoretical computer science and neural networks. Šíma's research focuses on the theoretical foundations of neural computation, including the computational power of analog and spiking neural networks, energy complexity in deep learning models, formal language recognition by neural automata, and complexity theory. His work bridges theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence, with a strong emphasis on mathematical rigor and computational models. The 15 most recent publications highlight a consistent trend in analyzing the computational capabilities and energy efficiency of neural networks. His recent work (2020–2024) centers on energy complexity in fully-connected and convolutional networks, while earlier work explores analog neuron hierarchies, hitting sets for branching programs, and the limitations of spiking neurons. The research spans subfields such as formal languages, computational complexity, dynamical systems, and neurocomputing, demonstrating a cohesive and long-term research trajectory in theoretical machine learning. Best ICS Paper Award (2024) Best ICS Paper Award (2021) Second/Third Best ICS Paper Award (2019) Best ICS Paper Award (2018) Otto Wichterle Award (2003) Award of the CAS for young scientists (1998) Šíma has been principal investigator on multiple Czech Science Foundation grants, including LEDNeCo (2025–2027), AppNeCo (2022–2024), and FoNeCo (2019–2021). He has also served on grant evaluation panels and scientific councils, including at the Czech Science Foundation and Charles University. Although no formal students are listed, he has collaborated extensively with researchers such as J. Cabessa, P. Vidnerová, S. Žák, and P. Orponen. He is actively involved in the academic community, serving on program committees for major conferences such as ICANN, ICONIP, SOFSEM, and MFCS. His work is primarily conducted within the Department of Theoretical Computer Science at ICS CAS, a leading research group in theoretical computer science in the Czech Republic.

• Theoretical Computer Science
• Neural Networks
• Computational Complexity
• +7 more

Christof Löding is an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Logic and Theory of Discrete Systems (Computer Science 7) at RWTH Aachen University. His research focuses on automata theory, formal verification, and logical foundations of computer science, with significant contributions to Büchi automata, tree automata, and stochastic games. Academic affiliation: RWTH Aachen University, Germany Research areas: Automata theory, Formal methods, Game theory, Logic in computer science Contact: loeding@informatik.rwth-aachen.de His recent work spans deterministic parity automata construction, finite-valued transducers, and algorithmic solutions for infinite games. Publications emphasize theoretical foundations and practical applications in program verification and XML processing. Articles analyze automata learning, uniformization problems, and lookahead degrees in infinite games, showing interconnections between automata theory and formal verification.

• Automata Theory
• Formal Methods
• Tree Automata
• +4 more

Nathanaël Fijalkow is a Researcher at CNRS in LaBRI (Bordeaux) and a Research Fellow at The Alan Turing Institute in London. His primary research fields include games , machine learning , automata theory , and dynamical systems , with a focus on synthesizing programs from logical specifications and probabilistic models. Research Interests span program synthesis (programming by example), controller synthesis (temporal logic specifications), games on graphs (parity/mean payoff games), probabilistic automata (bounded ambiguity), and invariants for linear dynamical systems. He bridges formal methods with machine learning through projects like DeepSynth . Scientific Contributions include: Undecidability results for probabilistic automata Advances in parity game algorithms (quasi-polynomial lower bounds) Foundations of probabilistic modal logics Efficient synthesis techniques using SMT solvers and distributional learning Supervision involves guiding postdocs and PhD students such as Guillaume Lagarde, Antonio Casares, and Pierre Ohlmann. He has secured grants like the Momentum DeepSynth project (2019-2021) , aiming to merge formal methods with ML for program synthesis.

• Games
• Machine Learning
• Automata Theory
• +9 more

Karoliina Lehtinen is a CNRS Researcher at Aix-Marseille University's Laboratoire d'Informatique et Systèmes (LIS). Her work focuses on theoretical computer science intersections with logic, games, and automata, particularly for verification and synthesis applications. Current affiliations: CNRS, LIS, MoVe group Active projects: QuaSy (PI), MoVeMnt (Co-PI) Research Interests: Specializing in logic and automata theory, her work addresses complexity in modal mu calculus, history-determinism, and quantitative reactive synthesis. She combines game theory with formal methods to tackle verification challenges. Scientific Awards: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow Simons Institute Fellow (Theoretical Foundations of Computer Systems program) Students & Collaborators: PhD Students: Olivier Idir (2023–), Vasiliki Kyriakou (2023–) Postdocs: Aditya Prakash (2025–) Collaborators: Udi Boker, Nathan Lhote, Pierre-Alain Reynier, Benjamin Monmege

• Logic
• Games
• Automata
• +5 more

Christof Löding , currently an Adjunct Professor at the Lehrstuhl für Logik und Theorie diskreter Systeme (Informatik 7) department of RWTH Aachen University , is a leading researcher in Automata Theory , Formal Verification , and Logic in Computer Science . His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in software verification, automata minimization, and game theory. Research Interests include automata theory, formal verification, logic, tree automata, game theory, and computational models. Publications span topics like Finite-valued Streaming String Transducers , Deterministic Parity Automata , and Stochastic Game Strategies . Collaborations with researchers like Emmanuel Filiot , Sarah Winter , and León Bohn highlight his contributions to automata and verification. Email : loeding@informatik.rwth-aachen.de He has actively published in venues such as ICALP , LICS , and STACS , focusing on deterministic automata, transducers, and logic-based computational systems. His work on Hyperlogic for Strategies in Stochastic Games (2025) and Minimal History-Deterministic Automata (2025) showcases his ongoing influence in formal methods and automata theory.

• Automata Theory
• Formal Verification
• Logic in Computer Science
• +3 more

Vojtěch Havlena is a researcher affiliated with the Brno University of Technology . His work focuses on formal methods in computer science, particularly in string constraint solving and automata theory. Research Interests : Formal verification, automata theory, constraint solving algorithms. Conference Contributions : Published in PLDI (2025), SPLASH (2023), APLAS (2020, 2019).

• Computer Science
• Formal Methods
• String Constraint Solving
• +2 more

Prof. Dr. Christian Gawron is a Professor of Internet Technologies at the University of Applied Sciences Südwestfalen since 2019. He leads the Master's program in Applied Computer Science and has held roles as Department Head and Practice Group Leader at IBM Global Business Services (2014–2018), focusing on Watson AI, chatbots, and text mining. Previously, he was a Senior IT Architect at IBM (1999–2014), specializing in business process digitalization for the insurance sector. He earned his Dr. rer. nat. in 1999 with a dissertation on Simulation-Based Traffic Assignment , and held research roles at the Center for Applied Computer Science (ZAIK) and the Universities of Cologne and Bonn. His research spans internet technologies, software engineering, natural language processing (NLP), and traffic simulation. His academic journey includes a physics degree from the Universities of Cologne and Bonn (1989–1995). His work bridges theoretical computer science and practical AI applications, including projects like BERT-DE-NER for NLP and traffic simulation models for large networks. He advises students on theses and projects, emphasizing real-world applications of technology. Prof. Gawron’s research trends reflect a shift from foundational traffic simulation (1990s) to modern AI-driven solutions (2020s), with notable contributions to transformer models and toxic comment detection. His IBM experience underscores practical IT architecture and AI implementation. Consultations are arranged via Calendly or email. He is a prolific researcher, with key contributions in traffic flow theory (e.g., dynamic user equilibrium algorithms) and NLP (e.g., BERT-based models). His work frequently addresses interdisciplinary challenges, such as environmental impact modeling in traffic simulations (FVU cooperative, 1998). Advising & Grants: Supervised numerous theses in internet technologies and AI. Prior IBM projects included grants for AI-driven insurance process optimization and real-time traffic simulation infrastructure. Labs/Teams: Leads the Internet Technologies research group at FH Südwestfalen, collaborating with industry partners on AI and NLP applications.

• Internet Technologies
• Software Engineering
• Natural Language Processing
• +3 more

Chris Köcher is a Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems (MPI-SWS) in Kaiserslautern, Germany. His work focuses on theoretical computer science, with a strong emphasis on formal methods, automata theory, and verification of complex systems. He leads research in areas such as algorithms, programming languages, cyber-physical systems, and security. His research bridges foundational theory and practical applications, addressing challenges in distributed systems, mobile systems, and privacy-preserving technologies. His research interests span formal language theory, verification of concurrent systems, and the analysis of storage mechanisms in automata. Notably, he has contributed to the study of queue automata, multi-pushdown systems, and the decidability of reachability problems in lossy systems. His work often intersects with theoretical computer science and algebraic structures, exploring topics like monoids and trace languages. Chris’s publications reflect a deep engagement with foundational questions in computer science, including the verification of cooperating multi-pushdown systems, the complexity of semilinear set separability, and the formal analysis of hard attention mechanisms in transformers. His research has implications for improving the reliability and security of software systems through rigorous mathematical foundations. He is affiliated with MPI-SWS, a leading research institution in software systems, and contributes to the institute’s mission to advance theoretical and applied research in computer science. His work is supported by collaborations within the institute and the broader academic community.

• Algorithms
• Theory & Logic
• Programming Languages
• +9 more