Optimizing Compilers Professors and Supervisors in Canada

Arie GurfinkelView profile

Professor

University of WaterlooCanada

Arie Gurfinkel is a Professor at the University of Waterloo, holding a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Cheriton School of Computer Science. His research focuses on automated program analysis, software model checking, automated reasoning, and abstract interpretation. He develops tools like SeaHorn, Avy, and others to enhance the verification and testing of complex computer systems. His work emphasizes formal methods, machine learning integration, and hardware/software verification. Recent publications highlight advancements in interpolation-based model checking, constrained Horn clauses, and algorithm selection for hardware verification. Gurfinkel's contributions include open-source tools and frameworks widely used in academic and industrial verification efforts. He actively seeks motivated graduate students interested in logic, automated reasoning, and formal methods. His research has been presented in top-tier conferences and journals, reflecting his expertise in formal verification and software engineering.

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Michael GodfreyView profile

Professor

University of WaterlooCanada

Michael Godfrey is a Professor at the University of Waterloo's David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, affiliated with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His work focuses on software engineering, empirical studies of software systems, code review practices, and open-source software ecosystems. He holds a Ph.D., M.Sc., and B.Sc. from the University of Toronto (1997, 1988, 1986). Research interests include software evolution, mining software repositories, provenance tracking, code duplication analysis, and program comprehension. He actively explores how developers interact with code reviews, documentation systems, and modern CI/CD pipelines. Recent work investigates app store software ecosystems, Bash scripting vulnerabilities, and deep learning API testing. Publications span empirical studies of developer communities (e.g., Stack Overflow analysis), architectural teaching methods, and automated testing techniques like documentation-guided fuzzing. His work bridges theory and practice, addressing challenges in large-scale systems maintenance and developer productivity. Leverages tools like Elasticsearch for repository mining and explores anomaly detection in software development. Engaged in curriculum development for software architecture education and has contributed to conferences like MSR and ICSE.

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Ladan TahvildariView profile

Professor

University of WaterlooCanada

Ladan Tahvildari is a Full-time Professor in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. Her research focuses on software engineering, self-adaptive systems, cloud computing, and test case prioritization. She leads the Software Technologies Applied Research Laboratory (STAR Lab), emphasizing hands-on industry collaboration and practical software solutions. Her work spans over two decades, with notable contributions to adaptive software systems, runtime adaptation frameworks (GRAF), and cloud modeling (StratusML/Adoop). She has pioneered techniques for flaky test detection (FlaKat), spatiotemporal auto-scaling (STaleX), and POMDP-based uncertainty management for security systems. Key research areas include: Self-protecting software systems Component-based software evolution Defect detection and prioritization Autonomic computing decision models Cloud infrastructure optimization Her recent work bridges academia and industry through hands-on learning approaches and frameworks like Semeru Cloud Compiler for performance enhancement. She has served as workshop chair for ACSOS 2023 and contributed to IBM tool integration in educational curricula. Her lab focuses on transforming theoretical concepts into practical tools like StarMX for self-managing systems and ReLACK for VoIP steganography. Current efforts emphasize adaptive machine learning frameworks and scalable microservice architectures.

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Chen SunView profile

Adjunct Assistant Professor

University of WaterlooCanada

Chen Sun is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Department of Data and Systems Engineering, The University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on compiler testing, program analysis, static binary taint analysis, and software engineering methodologies. Notable areas include leveraging large language models (LLMs) for compiler testing baselines, probabilistic delta debugging, and enhancing program reduction techniques across multiple languages. Recent work addresses ransomware defense mechanisms, fuzzing countermeasures, and database management system (DBMS) bug discovery through configuration transformations. Research interests span compiler optimization, fault localization, cybersecurity, and algorithmic efficiency. His publications from 2023-2025 highlight trends in combining AI with traditional software engineering challenges, such as improving type inference for Java code and developing syntax-guided program reduction frameworks. Articles frequently address practical security concerns like protecting embedded devices from protocol fuzzing and mitigating memory leaks through sanitizer-based localization. No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned. Advising and grants sections remain underdeveloped in available data. Current affiliations emphasize academic-industrial collaboration through adjunct roles focused on cutting-edge software reliability and security research.

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William N. SumnerView profile

Associate Professor

Simon Fraser UniversityCanada

William N. Sumner is an Associate Professor and Associate Director, Academic and Administration in the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Purdue University (2013) and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from Hope College (2005). His research focuses on automated debugging tools, concurrency, parallelism, program analysis, and software quality. He teaches courses such as Software Development Methods, Software Testing, and Automated Software Analysis. Sumner actively recruits graduate and undergraduate students for research in improving software development processes through automation. His work emphasizes reducing repetitive tasks in software development using techniques like test case reduction and program analysis. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, Purdue University, 2013 B.Sc., Computer Science, Hope College, 2005 Research Interests: Sumner’s research addresses challenges in software development automation, including automated debugging, test suite assessment, and program hardening. He develops tools like Pardis to optimize test case reduction and improve software reliability. His work intersects with concurrency, parallelism, and program transformation to enhance developer productivity and software quality. Recent Contributions: Recent publications include advancements in type batched program reduction (2023) and leveraging models for test case reduction in software repositories (2021). His Pardis framework (2019) improves test case reduction efficiency by addressing priority inversion in structured inputs. Teaching & Engagement: Sumner teaches courses such as CMPT 373 (Software Development Methods), CMPT 473 (Software Testing), and CMPT 479 (Automated Software Analysis). He emphasizes hands-on projects, such as the Geotagged Meeting Planner in CMPT 276, focusing on teamwork, agile methodologies, and software engineering best practices.

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Ivan BeschastnikhView profile

Associate Professor

University of British ColumbiaCanada

Ivan Beschastnikh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC), affiliated with the Faculty of Science. He leads research in distributed systems, software engineering, and formal methods, with a focus on privacy-preserving technologies, blockchain systems, and machine learning. His work bridges theoretical foundations and practical system implementations, emphasizing empirical validation and real-world deployment. Research Interests: His primary areas include distributed systems (e.g., consensus algorithms, transaction processing), formal methods for system correctness (e.g., PGo compiler for verified implementations), and privacy in federated learning and blockchain. He also explores interdisciplinary topics like AI ethics, human-computer interaction for developers, and system security. Key Projects: Includes PGo (formal specification to Go compiler), Biscotti (decentralized federated learning), Erlay (Bitcoin transaction relay optimization), and Teleoscope (text corpus analysis tool). His work has practical impact in blockchain scalability, secure multi-party ML, and distributed system validation. Awards: Recognized with the ASPLOS Distinguished Artifact Award, UBC Faculty Teaching Award, and ESEM Best Paper Award. His contributions span academic excellence, pedagogy, and collaborative research. Lab Affiliations: Active in the Systopia Lab and Software Practices Lab (SPL) , and collaborates with UBC’s Data Science Institute and Blockchain@UBC. He emphasizes interdisciplinary research, mentoring students in both theoretical and applied systems work.

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Ronald GarciaView profile

Associate Professor

University of British ColumbiaCanada

Ronald Garcia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, affiliated with the Faculty of Science and the Software Practices Lab. His research focuses on programming language theory, emphasizing gradual typing, type systems, and end-user programming. He teaches courses such as Programming Language Principles (CPSC 509) and Compiler Construction (CPSC 411). Education details are not explicitly stated in the provided texts, but his extensive academic contributions span over two decades. Research interests include formal semantics of programming languages, typestate systems, dependent types, and improving software practices for end-users. He has advised numerous Ph.D. and Master's students, contributing to over 30 academic publications. Recent work explores hybrid programming environments for end-users, runtime type slicing for debugging, and foundational frameworks for gradual dependent types. Garcia actively participates in academic conferences as a PC member and keynote speaker, notably in PLDI, POPL, and ICFP. His lab and collaborations focus on advancing theoretical foundations while addressing practical challenges in software development and education.

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Reid HolmesView profile

Professor

University of British ColumbiaCanada

Reid Holmes is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia , part of the Faculty of Science . His research focuses on improving software engineering practices, particularly in end-user programming, developer tool design, and empirical software engineering. He leads the Software Practices Lab and has contributed extensively to understanding developer workflows, testing methodologies, and educational tools for programming. Education: PhD in Computer Science, University of Calgary (2008) MSc in Computer Science, University of British Columbia (2004) BSc in Computer Science, University of British Columbia (2002) Research Interests: End-user programming environments, software testing, developer productivity tools, human-centered AI, educational technology, and empirical studies on software development practices. His work emphasizes bridging the gap between theoretical advancements and practical usability for both professional developers and novice programmers. Recent Article Trends: Focus on hybrid programming environments (e.g., block-based and graph-based systems), human-AI collaboration in testing/assertion generation, and age-inclusive IDE design. His research often involves empirical evaluations of tool effectiveness and developer workflows. Awards: FSE Most Influential Paper Award ICSE Most Influential Paper Award UBC Computer Science Teaching Award CS-Can/Info-Can Outstanding Research Prize Advising & Grants: Supervised over 30 graduate students and postdocs. Noted for collaborative projects with industry partners (e.g., Mozilla, Microsoft). Active in curriculum development for software engineering education. Labs/Teams: Leader of the Software Practices Lab , collaborating with industry and academic partners on tools like CodeShovel , AutoAssert , and Devy (conversational developer assistant).

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Julien ArinoView profile

Professor

University of ManitobaCanada

Julien Arino is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Manitoba , specializing in Mathematical Epidemiology and Mathematical Population Dynamics . He is an active member of the Mathematical Biology group and focuses on the role of movement in disease transmission, with applications to both human and animal health. Department of Mathematics Faculty of Science University of Manitoba His research spans: Metapopulation dynamics with explicit movement Multi-pathogen and multi-species transmission modeling Computational epidemiology with data science integration Evaluation of travel control measures for disease variants Recent work includes publications on: Cholera transmission in Chad Multi-species bovine tuberculosis dynamics Measles resurgence patterns Software tools for R compilation and data visualization He maintains a public YouTube channel with lecture videos on Mathematical Epidemiology and contributes open-source code for scientific computing in R and Python. His methodological contributions include novel approaches to plot formatting and computational efficiency in epidemic modeling.

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François-Raymond BoyerView profile

Associate Professor

Polytechnic School of MontrealCanada

François-Raymond Boyer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering and Software Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal. He holds a B.Sc. and Ph.D. from Université de Montréal and teaches courses in programming and digital audio. His research spans: Computer architecture and VLSI systems Network processing and traffic management Digital audio signal processing Hardware acceleration and optimization He is affiliated with ReSMiQ (Strategic Cluster for Microsystems) and OICRM (Music Research Observatory). Recent publications focus on 5G network processing, modular programming frameworks, and high-speed traffic management architectures, primarily in IEEE Access and IEEE Transactions on VLSI Systems. Professor Boyer has supervised 3 PhD and 6 Master's students, with research topics including network architecture, audio processing, and hardware design. No scientific awards are mentioned in the available records.

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