David Sands

David Sands is a Professor of Computer Science at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden since 2001, leading the ProSec research group (Programming Language Based Methods for Security). His work bridges Programming Languages and Computer Security through formal methods and program analysis.

He earned his PhD from Imperial College London in 1990 and maintains active roles in academic governance including Co-director of Chalmers Area of Advance ICT and former Chairman (2011-2013) of Sweden's Science Council Computer Science evaluation panel.

Research Focus:
Professor Sands specializes in language-based security mechanisms, developing programming language techniques to solve critical security challenges. His group pioneers formal verification methods for secure systems and program analysis frameworks that detect vulnerabilities at compile time.

Professional Leadership:
As a sought-after expert, he has served on program committees for premier conferences including POPL, ESOP, and IEEE Security & Privacy. His keynote addresses at ESORICS 2009, NORDSEC 2014, and ETAPS 2011 highlight his influence in security foundations.

Academic Mentorship:
Current PhD Students:

• Hamid Ebadi
• Bart van Delft

Former PhD Students:

• Johan Agat
• Andrei Sabelfeld
• Jörgen Gustavsson
• Stefan Axelsson
• Karol Ostrovsky
• Josef Svenningsson
• Daniel Hedin
• Tobias Gedell
• Niklas Broberg
• Phu H Phung
• Filippo Del Tedesco

Research Infrastructure:
He directs the ProSec group's operations from Room 5474 in Chalmers' EDIT building, coordinating international collaborations through Chalmers' Department of Computer Science and Engineering.