Elvira Albert

Elvira Albert is a Professor in the Department of Computer Systems and Programming at the School of Computer Science, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. She leads the COSTA research group, which specializes in formal methods for program optimization and verification, with a strong focus on blockchain technologies and smart contracts.

She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science. Her research encompasses program verification, static analysis, and compiler construction, particularly applied to blockchain ecosystems. The COSTA group has developed influential tools including circom (for arithmetic circuit compilation), CIVER (for circuit verification), EthIR (EVM decompiler), and superoptimizers such as GASOL and SuperStack.

Recent publications (2019-2024) demonstrate her expertise in smart contract safety (e.g., SAFEVM), concurrency testing, and bytecode superoptimization using constraint solvers. Her work consistently bridges theoretical formal methods with practical tool development for the blockchain industry.

Albert has secured substantial funding from the Ethereum Foundation for multiple projects (GASOL, GREEN, SOPA, FORVES series, ZK-ARCKIT, GREY). She serves as an area editor for Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP) since 2019.

The COSTA group, under her leadership, maintains an active research agenda in blockchain verification, zero-knowledge proofs, and formally verified compilers. Current projects include ZK-ARCKIT for arithmetic circuit analysis and FORYU for formal semantics of Yul.