Undefined Behavior Optimization Professors and Supervisors

Peter SewellView profile

Professor

Brown UniversityUnited States

Peter Sewell is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, where he leads the REMS group (Rigorous Engineering for Mainstream Systems). He is a Fellow of Wolfson College and a Fellow of the Royal Society. His research focuses on applying formal semantics to improve the foundations, robustness, and security of real-world computer systems. His research spans architecture specification, programming languages, verification, security, and networking, developing techniques from semantics, type systems, automated reasoning, and concurrency theory. He is particularly known for his work on the CHERI (Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions) project, which extends conventional hardware ISAs with new architectural features for fine-grained memory protection and software compartmentalization. His group has been instrumental in developing the Arm Morello evaluation platform as part of the UKRI Digital Security by Design Challenge. His publications reveal a strong focus on formal verification of hardware and software systems, with particular emphasis on memory safety, relaxed memory concurrency, and capability-based security architectures. Recent work demonstrates increasing industrial relevance, with collaborations with Arm, Google, IBM, and RISC-V International. Fellow of the Royal Society Sewell leads the REMS group, which was originally funded by an EPSRC Programme Grant and continues with funding from the EU ERC AdG ELVER (2018-2024), the ERC/UKRI Frontier Guarantee AdG SAFER (2024-2029), and donations from Arm, Google, Intel, and Amazon. His group develops tools like Sail (for ISA specification), Cerberus (for C semantics), and Lem (for semantics engineering).

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Stephan ZdancewicView profile

Professor

University of PennsylvaniaUnited States

Stephan Zdancewic is the Schlein Family President’s Distinguished Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Computer and Information Science. His research primarily focuses on Programming Languages and Security , with emphasis on formal verification, language-based security mechanisms, and compiler design. He leads projects in quantum computing verification, parallel lambda calculus, and LLVM formalization. Research Interests: Formal methods for program verification and synthesis Security in programming language design and low-level systems Parallel and concurrent programming models Quantum computing reliability and error correction Educational initiatives in programming languages His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on bridging theoretical computer science with practical applications, particularly in verification tools (e.g., Vellvm for LLVM), quantum error correction, and parallel computation models for AI systems. Work frequently appears in top venues like POPL and ECOOP. Awards & Honors: Distinguished Paper Award, ECOOP (2023) Distinguished Paper Award, POPL (2020) Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching (2018) Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (2009) NSF CAREER Award (2004) He advises PhD students including Calvin Beck, Lawrence Dunn, Joey Velez-Ginorio, Stephen Mell, and Nicholas Rioux. He directs the REU Site for undergraduate research in programming languages (REPL), emphasizing mentorship and formal methods education.

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Manu SridharanView profile

Professor

Max Planck Institute for Software SystemsGermany

Manu Sridharan is a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California, Riverside, where he leads research in programming languages and software engineering. He is a member of the RIPLE research group and actively recruits PhD students for cutting-edge research in software reliability, security, and performance. Prior to his academic career, Sridharan worked at prominent industry research labs including IBM Research, Samsung Research America, and Uber, where he developed practical tools like NullAway to eliminate Java null pointer errors. His research focuses on developing tools and techniques to make large-scale software more reliable, performant, secure, and maintainable. Sridharan's work spans static analysis, program verification, type systems, memory safety, and resource management. He has made significant contributions to JavaScript analysis, call graph construction, nullability checking, and resource leak detection. His research bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications, resulting in tools that have been deployed in industry settings. Sridharan's publication record shows a consistent trajectory of high-impact research in top venues like PLDI, OOPSLA, ECOOP, and FSE. His recent work (2021-2025) demonstrates continued innovation in static analysis techniques, particularly in nullability inference, taint analysis, resource management, and call graph construction. His research shows a clear progression from foundational program analysis techniques to increasingly practical and deployable tools that address real-world software engineering challenges. Outstanding Artifact Award for Effective Race Detection for Event-Driven Programs (OOPSLA 2013) Best Paper Award for Predicting your own effort (AAMAS 2012) Best Paper Award for Debugging overconstrained declarative models using unsatisfiable cores (ASE 2003) Sridharan has mentored numerous students through their academic journeys, including current PhD candidates and Master's students working on cutting-edge research problems. His former PhD student Narges Shadab graduated in 2023. He has served in leadership roles for major conferences, including as Program Committee Chair for ECOOP 2021 and Area Chair for ECOOP 2022. His research has been supported by various grants that enable his team to pursue ambitious projects in program analysis and software engineering. As a member of the RIPLE research group at UC Riverside, Sridharan collaborates with other faculty and students on interdisciplinary projects that span programming languages, systems, and security. His team's work often involves building practical tools that can be deployed in real-world settings, as evidenced by his industry experience and tools like NullAway that were developed during his time at Uber.

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Jonas NorlinderView profile

Researcher

Max Planck Institute for Software SystemsGermany

Jonas Norlinder is a researcher affiliated with Uppsala University in Sweden, specializing in memory management and virtual machine design . He actively contributes to academic conferences such as ECOOP, SPLASH, and PLDI, serving on committees for artifact evaluation and extended review processes.

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Godmar BackView profile

Associate Professor

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityUnited States

Godmar Back is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Utah (2002) and specializes in systems research, programming languages, and performance analysis. His work focuses on foundational aspects of operating systems, distributed systems, and cloud computing, with notable contributions to memory management, concurrency, and cybersecurity education. His research explores how hardware and software interact to optimize system performance, including studies on SPEC benchmarking, garbage collection, and undefined behavior in programming languages. He has developed frameworks like CloudBrowser 2.0 for cloud-based applications and the VT-ASOS system for many-core platforms. Back is also active in pedagogy, integrating DevOps practices into undergraduate research and incorporating cybersecurity modules into core curricula through spiral theory-based methods. Key projects include the Pintos instructional operating system kernel, the VirtuOS virtualized OS, and ReplayCache for predictive computations. His work frequently bridges theoretical systems research with practical applications, emphasizing reproducibility and real-world impact. His educational initiatives aim to broaden participation in systems research through high-impact practices and collaborative development environments.

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C GiuffridaView profile

Associate Professor

Vrije University AmsterdamNetherlands

C Giuffrida is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, with affiliations to the Network Institute and the Systems and Network Security group. His research focuses on computer systems security, hardware vulnerabilities, and software reliability. Giuffrida holds a PhD in Computer Systems from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2014). His academic contributions span multiple areas including transient execution attacks, fuzzing techniques, and hardware-software co-design for security. Research Interests: Hardware Security: Investigating vulnerabilities like Spectre, Rowhammer, and speculative execution risks. Software Security: Focusing on memory safety, compiler optimizations, and exploit mitigation strategies. Systems Research: Developing tools like BinRec for binary analysis and VPS for C++ vulnerability protection. His work has been recognized with awards such as the Distinguished Paper Award in 2021. Giuffrida supervises advanced courses in operating systems and hardware security, and has guided 16 PhD theses to completion.

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Ralf JungView profile

Assistant Professor

ETH ZurichSwitzerland

Prof. Ralf Jung is an Assistant Professor at ETH Zürich's Department of Computer Science, leading the Programming Language Foundations Lab under the Institute for Programming Languages and Systems. His work focuses on formal verification of programming languages, particularly Rust and Iris. Previously, he earned his PhD at Saarland University and MPI-SWS, advised by Derek Dreyer, followed by a postdoc at MIT CSAIL's PDOS group. Research Interests: Formal foundations of Rust, including tools like Miri for detecting undefined behavior and MiniRust for precise specification. Iris logical framework for modular verification of programming languages at scale. Concurrent and distributed systems verification using separation logic. Advising & Labs: He leads the Programming Language Foundations Lab and is hiring postdocs. His work integrates theoretical rigor with practical tooling for real-world language verification challenges. Labs/Teams: Programming Language Foundations Lab at ETH Zürich, collaborating with the Rust language team and global research community.

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Karine Even-MendozaView profile

Lecturer

InriaFrance

Karine Even-Mendoza is a Lecturer at King's College London specializing in software reliability, with active contributions to SPLASH, ASE, and ISSTA conferences. Her research bridges traditional software engineering with emerging domains like quantum computing and green software. Her research interests focus on: Advanced testing methodologies (Fuzzing, Model Checking) Machine Learning integration for test generation Quantum software validation Energy-efficient computing solutions Recent publications (2020-2025) reveal a strategic evolution from compiler testing foundations to ML-augmented quantum and green computing research. This progression demonstrates consistent innovation in software reliability while addressing industry-critical challenges in emerging technologies. As a Lecturer, she actively supervises student projects and conference submissions. Her involvement in conference organization (SPLASH, ICTSS) and industry collaborations (eBay, IBM legacy) provide students with real-world exposure to software engineering challenges. Her research group develops practical tools like CsmithEdge and SearchGEM5, maintaining strong GitHub engagement for open-source contributions to compiler and simulator testing.

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John RegehrView profile

Professor

University of UtahUnited States

John Regehr is a Professor in the School of Computing at the University of Utah. His research focuses on compilers, formal verification, software testing, and embedded systems. He has contributed to tools like Alive2, YARPGen, and ARMor, which address compiler correctness, fuzz testing, and secure isolation. His work emphasizes uncovering compiler bugs, optimizing low-level code, and ensuring system reliability. Key collaborations include Eric Eide, Yang Chen, and Nuno P. Lopes. His articles span compiler verification, fuzzing techniques, and embedded system safety, reflecting a strong commitment to both academic rigor and practical impact. Research interests include compiler optimization validation, undefined behavior analysis, and program synthesis. His work on peephole optimizations and formal methods has influenced LLVM and industry practices. He also explores scheduling algorithms for real-time systems and memory safety in constrained environments like TinyOS. Notable contributions include foundational papers on compiler bug detection (e.g., 'Finding and understanding bugs in C compilers') and tools like Minotaur for SIMD optimization. His lab's work often bridges theory and practice, with applications in security, performance, and embedded software reliability.

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Josh SunshineView profile

Associate Professor

Carnegie Mellon UniversityQatar

Josh Sunshine is an Associate Professor in the Software and Societal Systems Department (S3D) at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, with a courtesy appointment in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute. He directs the NSF-funded REUSE program (Research Experiences for Undergraduates in interdisciplinary Software Engineering), providing summer research opportunities for diverse undergraduates across computer science domains including human-computer interaction, programming languages, and software security. His educational background includes a PhD in Software Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University (2013) under Jonathan Aldrich, and a BS from Brandeis University (2004) followed by four years as a software engineer. Prior academic training informs his industry-relevant research approach. Professor Sunshine's research spans programming languages, software engineering, and human-computer interaction with concentrated focus on usability of reusable software components. He investigates how developers interact with libraries, APIs, and testing tools, seeking to bridge formal methods with practical usability through human-centered design. Recent work develops tools that make verification and testing more accessible without sacrificing rigor. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals strong emphasis on human-in-the-loop systems: 60% address software testing/tooling (e.g., TerzoN, Nanofuzz), 25% focus on visualization/education (e.g., Edgeworth), and 15% explore programming language safety (e.g., Rust studies). The work consistently combines empirical user studies with technical innovation, targeting real-world developer pain points. Scientific recognition includes: NSF CAREER Award (2024) for "Scientist-in-the-loop software testing" Best Paper Nominee at ACM Conference on Learning @ Scale (2024) for Edgeworth research Through the REUSE program, Professor Sunshine mentors 15-20 undergraduates annually in collaborative research with faculty including Charlie Garrod and Claire Le Goues. His grant portfolio centers on two major NSF awards: the REUSE site ($1.2M) and CAREER grant ($500k), supporting both research and educational outreach. Current projects integrate testing automation with human judgment and develop scalable tools for visual thinking in STEM education. As a core S3D faculty member, he contributes to CMU's interdisciplinary mission through the Human-Computer Interaction Institute collaboration. His REUSE program specifically builds inclusive research pathways, with 40% participation from underrepresented groups in computing. Future work focuses on expanding the "scientist-in-the-loop" paradigm across software engineering tasks.

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Steve ZdancewicView profile

Professor

IMDEA Software InstituteSpain

Steve Zdancewic is the Schlein Family President's Distinguished Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania. His research spans programming languages, computer security, formal verification, and type theory, with significant contributions to LLVM verification, program synthesis, and quantum programming. He co-leads Penn's Programming Languages Research Group with Benjamin Pierce and Stephanie Weirich. His research focuses on: Programming language foundations (type theory, linear logic, semantics) Formal verification (Coq, LLVM, interaction trees) Security (information-flow control, memory safety) Emerging paradigms (quantum programming, secure distributed systems) Publication trends reveal deep engagement with formal methods (67%), programming language design (20%), and systems security (13%), primarily using Coq for mechanized verification. Recent works demonstrate increased focus on parallel/streaming computation and synthesis techniques. Awards Distinguished Paper Awards (ECOOP 2023, POPL 2020) Schlein Family President's Distinguished Professor (2021) Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award (2018) IEEE MICRO Top Picks (2013) Sloan Fellowship (2009-2010) NSF CAREER Award (2004) Best Paper Awards (SOSP 2001, ICFP 1999) Research Leadership Directs multiple NSF-funded projects including DeepSpec (verified systems infrastructure), Vellvm (LLVM semantics), and ExCAPE (program synthesis). Advises 5 PhD students and 31 former advisees/postdocs. Served as General Chair for POPL 2025 and associate chair for PLDI/ICFP/POPL. Infrastructure Leads the Vellvm project developing Coq-based LLVM semantics, the Interaction Trees framework for recursive/impure programs, and Qwire for quantum circuit verification. Maintains active collaborations with Galois Inc. and INRIA.

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Klaus von GleissenthallView profile

Assistant Professor

University of California, San DiegoUnited States

Klaus von Gleissenthall is a tenured Assistant Professor in Computer Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, affiliated with the Theory Group and VUSec security lab. He holds a joint appointment with CWI's Computer Security group. Previously, he was a post-doc at UCSD and completed his PhD at TUM under a Microsoft Research scholarship. His research integrates programming languages , security , and systems to develop formally verified, low-overhead solutions for hardware/software correctness. Key focus areas include: Side-channel attack mitigation via leakage contracts Refinement-type systems for hardware verification Byzantine fault tolerance in distributed systems Publications demonstrate strong emphasis on hardware security (45% of recent papers), formal methods (30%), and distributed systems (25%), with consistent appearances in top-tier venues (S&P, CCS, OOPSLA). Awards & Honors: ERC Starting Grant (€1.5M, 2024) Intel Hardware Security Award Honorable Mention (2020, 2024) Distinguished Paper Awards: CCS'23, OOPSLA'23, POPL'21 He advises four PhD students and two post-docs, supported by his ERC grant. Current projects include refinement types for hardware and pre-silicon leak detection. His lab collaborates with VUSec and CWI, focusing on scalable verification tools like LLVM Blade and methodologies for constant-time execution guarantees.

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