Bas Spitters is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Denmark. He leads the Concordium Blockchain Research Center and the Blockchain workpackage in Digit , and contributes to Aarhus University's Quantum Campus initiative. His research spans Homotopy Type Theory , Formal Verification , and High-assurance cryptographic software . He develops proof assistants like Coq for applications in probabilistic programming , blockchain security , and quantum computing . Recent article trends focus on verified compilation (CertiCoq-Wasm), smart contract certification (ConCert), and applications of HoTT to probabilistic and blockchain systems. Key keywords include Formal Methods , Blockchain , Quantum Computing , and Cubical Type Theory . Scientific awards and grants: AFOSR grant (2018-2021) for Homotopy Type Theory in probabilistic computation Villum Foundation grant (2015-2019) for Guarded Homotopy Type Theory NWO VENI grant (2010-2013) for Reasoning and Computing DIAMANT researcher grant Advising and collaboration: Advised PhD students: Benjamin Salling Hvass, Jakob Botsch Nielsen, Andreas Aagaard Lynge, Soren Eller Thomsen, Martin Bidlingmaier Collaborated on computer-verified exact analysis, smart contracts, and quantum logic Organized workshops: TYPES workshop , HACS , and DMV Mini-Symposium
Limin Jia is a Research Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, with a courtesy appointment in the Computer Science Department. She is affiliated with CyLab, CMU's security and privacy research institute. She received her PhD in Computer Science from Princeton University and a BE from the University of Science and Technology in China. Her research applies formal techniques to enhance software security, focusing on programming languages and distributed systems. Key interests include: Language-based security mechanisms Formal verification of distributed systems Secure compilation techniques Intermittent computing foundations Her publications demonstrate strong emphasis on security guarantees in programming languages (Rust/WebAssembly), formal methods for intermittent systems, and software supply chain security. Recent works frequently address type systems, compiler verification, and energy-constrained computing. Dr. Jia maintains an extensive advising portfolio with current and former students spanning PhD and Master's programs. She teaches foundational security courses including Browser Security and Introduction to Information Security .
Philippa Gardner is a Professor in the Department of Computing at Imperial College London, where she has been on faculty since 2001 and became a professor in 2009. She holds a UKRI Established Fellowship (2018–2023) and directs the EPSRC-funded Research Institute on Verified Trustworthy Software Systems (VeTSS) from 2017 to 2022. Previously, she held an EPSRC Advanced Fellowship at the University of Cambridge (hosted by Robin Milner) and a Microsoft Research Cambridge/Royal Academy of Engineering Senior Fellowship (2005–2010). She completed her PhD in 1992 at the University of Edinburgh under Professor Gordon Plotkin, followed by five years of postdoctoral fellowships at Edinburgh. Her research focuses on program verification , with specialized interests in web programming (JavaScript/DOM), concurrent systems, and formal methods. She developed the Gillian platform for multi-language symbolic execution and has made significant contributions to separation logic, WebAssembly verification, and compositional reasoning techniques. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong emphasis on unified formal methods, scalable verification techniques, and practical tools for real-world languages like JavaScript and WebAssembly. Key themes include symbolic execution, correctness/incorrectness reasoning, and mechanized semantics. Awards and Fellowships: UKRI Established Fellowship (2018–2023) Microsoft Research Cambridge/Royal Academy of Engineering Senior Fellowship (2005–2010) Leadership and Service: Directs the VeTSS research institute focusing on trustworthy systems. Chaired the BCS awards committee (2013–2018), overseeing the Lovelace Medal and Roger Needham Award.
Michael Norrish is an Associate Professor at the School of Computing, Australian National University (ANU) , specializing in formal methods, programming language semantics, and interactive theorem proving. His career spans roles at NICTA, Data61, and ANU, with a focus on mechanised mathematics and verified systems. PhD in Computer Science (University of Cambridge, 1999) Undergraduate degree from Victoria University of Wellington His research bridges interactive theorem-proving (ITP) systems like HOL4 with real-world systems verification, particularly in programming languages and compilers. He leads the CakeML project, developing a verified compiler for functional languages. His work intersects formal verification with practical system design, including projects on reproducibility debt in scientific software and verified processors. Recent publications highlight verified compilation techniques, reproducibility challenges, and Kolmogorov complexity formalization. He actively participates in conference program committees (e.g., CPP, PLDI) and promotes trustworthy systems development through tools like HOL4. Current affiliations: ANU, CakeML Project, Trustworthy Systems Research Group (UNSW) Collaborations: Chalmers University (postdoc opportunities), seL4 microkernel ecosystem
Aymeric Fromherz is a researcher at Inria Paris, focusing on formal methods for secure systems. He leads projects in Rust verification, high-assurance cryptography, and formalization of computational legal texts. Education includes a PhD from Carnegie Mellon University (co-advised by Bryan Parno and Corina Păsăreanu) and degrees from École Normale Supérieure. His research spans Rust verification (via Aeneas toolchain), verified cryptographic primitives , and computational law (through the Catala language). Recent publications address memory allocators, borrow-checking, and legal ambiguity detection. Major Scientific Awards : Distinguished Artifact Award (CAV 2025) Best Tool Paper Award (ESOP 2024) ACM SIGSAC Dissertation Award (2021) A.G. Milnes Dissertation Award (2021) He contributes to conferences like POPL, ICFP, and CPP, and participates in the Everest Project. The Prosecco Team at Inria Paris supports his research on formal methods and security.
Dr. Li Huang serves as a Professor in the Department of Genetics and Plant Pathology within the College of Agriculture at Montana State University. Her work bridges molecular plant pathology and crop improvement, with a specialized focus on cereal disease resistance mechanisms. Her academic qualifications include: Ph.D. in Plant Pathology, Kansas State University (2002) M.S. in Plant Pathology, Kansas State University (1998) B.S. in Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University (1984) Dr. Huang's research centers on wheat-rust pathogen co-evolution , investigating how rust pathogens target wheat genes during colonization. Her lab employs transcriptomics , functional genomics (including BSMV-mediated assays), and molecular breeding to identify resistance mechanisms. This work extends to Ascochyta blight in pea, where her team developed high-throughput screening protocols for immunity traits. Her findings directly inform strategies for developing durable disease-resistant crops critical to global food security. Analysis of her 2020-2024 publications reveals three dominant research threads: (1) molecular dissection of wheat-rust interactions (70% of output), (2) development of genomic tools for cereal disease screening (20%), and (3) applied breeding outcomes including durum wheat variety registration (10%). Key breakthroughs include identifying NPR1 fusion proteins in wheat defense regulation and characterizing pathogen target modification for enhanced resistance. Dr. Huang secures active funding through two major grants: Develop Ascochyta blight-resistant pea varieties via molecular breeding (Montana Department of Agriculture) Untangling resistance/avirulence modes in wheat rust for durable resistance (USDA NIFA partnership) She contributes extensively to scientific service as former Editorial Review Board Member for Journal of Plant Physiology & Pathology (2011-2022) and Frontiers in Plant Science (2016-2020), plus multiple USDA panelist appointments in 2014. Her laboratory maintains specialized capabilities in rust inoculation, wheat crossing, and BSMV assays as evidenced by protocol documentation.
Dr. Tianxing Cai serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering within Hampton University's School of Engineering, Architecture and Aviation. An experienced educator and researcher, he specializes in non-destructive testing and sensor technologies with applications spanning chemical manufacturing reliability, environmental monitoring, and critical infrastructure security. For over a decade, he has mentored underrepresented STEM students as faculty advisor for the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). His research program focuses on developing advanced sensing methodologies for real-world industrial challenges. Key areas include non-destructive evaluation of material integrity, interfacial phenomenon analysis for corrosion detection, and optimized sampling networks for environmental quality assessment. This work bridges fundamental surface science with practical engineering solutions for equipment health monitoring and infrastructure protection. Recent publications (2021-2024) demonstrate consistent output in high-impact journals including Langmuir , Frontiers in Chemical Engineering , and Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology . His work shows increasing specialization in corrosion detection techniques, with a 2024 review paper establishing comprehensive frameworks for non-destructive evaluation methods. Dr. Cai's academic service is highlighted by his decade-long NSBE mentorship, providing leadership development and professional guidance to underrepresented engineering students. His teaching philosophy emphasizes real-world application integration to prepare students for industry challenges in safety-critical systems. Research activities appear supported by university resources within the Chemical Engineering department, with recent publications indicating active investigation of interfacial modulus applications and corrosion monitoring systems. While specific grants aren't documented, the applied nature of his work suggests industry-relevant funding avenues.
Ranjit Jhala is a Professor of Computer Science Engineering at UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering, where he leads the Programming Systems Group. His research spans Programming Languages and Software Engineering, focusing on building reliable systems through Type Systems, Model Checking, Program Analysis, and Automated Deduction. His current projects include Flux for Rust verification, Liquid Haskell refinement types, and techniques for analyzing timing channels. Professor Jhala teaches courses on Programming Languages (CSE 130) and Graduate Programming Languages (CSE 230), with extensive experience teaching compilers and verification topics. Professor Jhala advises several students including Alexander Bakst, Ben Cosman, and Marc Andrysco. Notable former students include Niki Vazou (Postdoc at Maryland), Ravi Chugh (University of Chicago), and Patrick Rondon (Google).
Hui Liu is a Professor in the School of Computer Science and Technology at Beijing Institute of Technology, where he leads research in AI-based software development with a focus on LLM applications. His work spans software refactoring, quality improvement, and maintenance, funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Key Research and Development Program of China. PhD from Peking University (2008) Former graduate student at Software Engineering Institute, Peking University Distinguished member of China Computer Federation Secretary-General of CCF Technical Committee on Software Engineering Professor Liu's research centers on LLM-based program generation, evaluation and testing of large language models, software refactoring techniques, and automatic construction of software engineering datasets. His work bridges artificial intelligence and software engineering, with particular emphasis on improving code quality through empirical studies and machine learning techniques. Current projects include code contamination detection, context-aware naming recommendations, and refactoring validation using LLMs. His research has evolved from traditional code smell detection to cutting-edge applications of large language models in software development. Liu's publication record shows a strong trend toward LLM applications in software engineering, with recent work focusing on code review generation, commit message generation, and refactoring validation using large language models. His research combines empirical methods with machine learning approaches, often analyzing large code corpora from open-source projects. The work spans both theoretical foundations and practical tool development, with several contributions merged into Eclipse as part of the open-source community. ACM Distinguished Paper Award (ESEC/FSE 2023) ACM Distinguished Paper Award (ICSE 2022) RE'2021 Best Research Paper Award IET Software Premium Award (2018) New Century Excellent Talents in University (2013) Beijing Higher Education Young Elite Teacher (2013) Professor Liu actively mentors PhD and Master's students, with recent graduates including Waseem Akram (awarded Outstanding Graduate) and several students publishing at top venues. His research is supported by major Chinese funding agencies, and he serves on program committees for leading software engineering conferences including ASE, ICSE, and FSE. He maintains strong industry connections through contributions to Eclipse and studies of open-source ecosystems like Rust. Liu leads a research group focused on AI for software engineering, with active projects on code generation, refactoring, and quality improvement. The group collaborates extensively with international researchers and contributes directly to open-source tools, particularly in the Eclipse ecosystem where multiple refactoring improvements have been merged.
Zhiyuan Wan is an Associate Professor in the College of Computer Science and Technology at Zhejiang University, China. His academic career spans multiple prestigious institutions across North America and Asia, with a focus on advancing software engineering practices through empirical research and tool development. Dr. Wan's educational background includes: Ph.D. in Computer Science from Zhejiang University (2014) His postdoctoral journey featured positions at: University of British Columbia, Canada (2019-2020) Singapore Management University (2018) Zhejiang University (2016-2020) Lehigh University, United States (2014-2015) Dr. Wan's research program centers on empirical software engineering with particular expertise in blockchain technologies and software security. His work bridges theoretical insights with practical tool development, focusing on: Smart contract security and vulnerabilities in cryptocurrency ecosystems Code search and recommendation systems for developer productivity Empirical studies of developer practices and challenges Impact of machine learning on software development workflows His approach combines rigorous empirical methods with practical tool building to address real-world challenges faced by software practitioners. Analysis of Dr. Wan's recent publications reveals a strategic evolution toward blockchain security research, beginning around 2020 with studies on smart contract security and expanding to cover NFT ecosystems, Solana blockchain transactions, and cross-chain vulnerabilities. His work consistently applies empirical methods to uncover practical insights while developing tools that directly address identified challenges in software development. Dr. Wan actively contributes to the software engineering community through service on program committees for major conferences including ASE, ICSE, ESEC/FSE, and ISSTA. His academic leadership extends to mentoring relationships with students and collaborators across international institutions, though specific advisees are not documented in the provided materials.
Dr. Hunmin Kim serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Mercer University's School of Engineering, specializing in security and operational resilience of cyber-physical systems with applications in autonomous vehicles, UAVs, and smart grids. His educational background includes: PhD in Electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University (2018) BSE in Mechanical Engineering from Pusan National University (2012) Dr. Kim's research centers on developing attack/fault detection mechanisms, robust control frameworks, and path planning algorithms for cyber-physical systems operating in dynamic environments. His work addresses critical security vulnerabilities and coordination challenges in multi-agent systems, with emphasis on verifiable safety guarantees for autonomous operations. Analysis of his 2023-2025 publications reveals strong thematic convergence in resilient control under adversarial conditions, motion planning in complex environments, and assistive technology applications. His work consistently bridges theoretical control systems with practical implementations in autonomous vehicles and UAVs, featuring increasing integration of machine learning techniques for adaptive security. Professional recognition includes: Nomination for 2024 Clayton R. Paul Teaching Excellence Award Dr. Kim actively mentors undergraduate researchers through Mercer's Bear Day events and honors projects, guiding student teams in developing gesture-based drone controls, EMG signal processors, and assistive navigation devices for visually impaired individuals. He maintains extensive peer review commitments across 45+ journals/conferences annually including IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control and Automatica. He contributes to the Collaborative Center for Computing at Mercer University and serves on the IEEE CSS Technology Conferences Editorial Review Board.
David Brian Collinge is Professor of Plant Pathology at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (PLEN), Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen. Since 2023, he has served as Head of the Section for Microbial Ecology and Biotechnology, overseeing approximately 40 employees across 4 research groups. Previously, he was Head of the Section for Plant Pathology from 2003-2006. His academic journey began with a BSc in Genetics from the University of Liverpool (1979) followed by a PhD in Genetics from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne (1982). Professor Collinge's research focuses on the nature of plant defense mechanisms, pathogenicity mechanisms, signal sensing and transduction in plants, and the exploitation of these mechanisms for disease control in developing countries. His work extensively examines fungal interactions with plants across various lifestyles including necrotrophs, biotrophs, and endophytes. His research group has worked with multiple biological systems involving fungal pathogens since 1988, including studies on Pea with Ascochyta pisi, Rape with Leptosphaera maculans, Wheat with Septoria tritici and Fusarium graminearum, Maize with Maize Rayado Fino Virus, and Norway Spruce with Ceratobasidium bicorne. The bulk of his research effort has concerned Barley with the Powdery Mildew Fungus (Blumeria graminis) and Fusarium graminearum. His recent publications (2022-2025) reveal a strong focus on fungal endophytes for plant disease control, particularly examining the interactions between beneficial fungi and cereal crops to combat Fusarium diseases. His work demonstrates how endophytic fungi can activate plant defense mechanisms to suppress pathogens, with significant implications for sustainable agriculture. His research spans molecular mechanisms of plant-microbe interactions, mycotoxin detoxification pathways, and the development of biological control strategies as alternatives to chemical pesticides. NOVA Prize (2008) for Nordic MSc programme in Plant Pathology President of BSPP (2022) Joint Editor in Chief of CABI Plant Health Cases (since 2022) Associate Editor for European Journal of Plant Pathology (since 2004) and Plant Pathology (since 2011) Professor Collinge has supervised 31 completed PhD students and has been responsible for 4 PhD courses and 2 BSc/MSc level courses in plant biotechnology and plant pathology. He has participated in acquiring over 100 million Danish Kroner for research funding, including coordination of several major research programs such as the Marie S. Curie Horizon 2020 ETN "BestPass" (2015-2019) and Danida FFU projects on Black Sigatoka in banana. His leadership extends to being Coordinator for Denmark for Nordic PhD courses in plant pathology (2001-2017) and serving on numerous national and international examination boards and review committees. His research group, the "Plant Pathology and Microbiology" group, has maintained up to 10 employees since 1988 and has established collaborations across multiple continents, with visiting professorships at McGill University, Huazhong Agricultural University, and University of Pretoria. The group's current focus on endophytic fungal interactions aims to uncover defining principles in crop protection and plant tolerance across biotic and abiotic stresses, with potential applications for sustainable food security worldwide.
