Igor Potapov

Igor Potapov is a Professor at the University of Liverpool, leading the Algorithms, Complexity Theory and Optimisation (ACTO) Group within the Department of Computer Science. His career includes progressive academic roles from Lecturer (2002) to Professor (current), with a focus on theoretical computer science and formal verification.

• Research Themes: Reachability problems in matrix semigroups, robot scheduling, broadcasting automata, and computational complexity.
• Grants & Awards:
  • EPSRC grant (£459K, 2014-2018) on reachability problems
  • NATO Collaborative Linkage Grant (€15,000, 2008-2010)
  • Royal Society International Joint Projects and Travel Grants
  • Nuffield Foundation Grant (£5,000, 2003-2005)
  • Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship (£3,940, 2008-2009)
• Recent Work Trends:
  • Focus on geometric coverage algorithms (2025)
  • Collision-free scheduling for robotic systems (2024-2025)
  • Advances in matrix semigroup decidability (2024)
  • Applications to programmable matter and crystal structure prediction (2022-2023)
• Contact: potapov@liverpool.ac.uk