Ian Stark

Ian Stark is a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at the School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, and a key member of the Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science (LFCS). His research centers on mathematical models of programming languages and concurrent systems, with a focus on reasoning about name generation and secure mobile code.

Research Interests: Ian Stark's work lies at the intersection of theoretical computer science and programming language semantics. He investigates foundational models such as the π-calculus and nu-calculus, applying them to problems in security, resource management, and systems biology. His research in denotational and operational semantics provides rigorous frameworks for understanding program behavior, particularly in systems with dynamic name creation and local state. He has made significant contributions to proof-carrying code and resource guarantees for mobile and embedded systems, ensuring safety and security through formal methods.

The trends in his publications over the last 15 years show a consistent focus on foundational models for concurrency and security. Early work established semantic models for the π-calculus, while later research applied these to practical domains like mobile code security and systems biology. His articles frequently appear in top venues like LICS, FOSSACS, and TCS, reflecting a strong theoretical grounding with applications in verification and language design.

Scientific Recognition:

Advising and Funding: Stark has supervised several PhD students, including Marek Kwiatkowski, Chris Banks, Uli Schöpp, Sam Lindley, and Tom Chothia. He has been involved in major collaborative research projects such as REMS (Rigorous Engineering for Mainstream Systems), App Guarden (Resilient Application Stores), CerCo (Certified Complexity), and Mobius (Proof-Carrying Code), funded by the EPSRC and the European Union. He actively recruits PhD students, particularly through the Centre for Doctoral Training in Pervasive Parallelism.

Labs and Teams: He is a core member of the Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science (LFCS), a world-renowned research group at the University of Edinburgh focused on the mathematical foundations of computing. His work often involves collaboration with researchers across Europe in the areas of programming languages, semantics, and formal verification.