Jan Friso Groote

Jan Friso Groote is a Full Professor and Chair of the Formal System Analysis group in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). He also holds professorial roles in the EAISI Foundational and EAISI High Tech Systems institutes. Since 2016, he has been working part-time at ASML, contributing his expertise in formal verification to industrial applications.

Education:

• Born in 1965, studied Computer Science at Twente University of Technology (now University of Twente), 1983–1988.
• PhD in 1991 from the University of Amsterdam with thesis 'Process algebra and structured operational semantics', based on research at CWI (Centrum Wiskunde en Informatica).

Jan Friso Groote is a leading researcher in formal methods and software verification. His work focuses on enabling the development of flawless software through rigorous formal analysis. Key research areas include structural operational semantics, model checking, branching bisimulation, protocol verification, and the development of the mCRL2 toolset. His current goal is to integrate formal techniques into complete software system design, improving both development speed and quality. His research has demonstrated that formal methods can reduce development time by a factor of three and increase quality tenfold, with potential for zero-defect software.

His recent publications demonstrate sustained contributions in formal verification, including work on mutual exclusion algorithms, industrial control system modeling, probabilistic systems, and efficient bisimulation algorithms. The articles span topics such as tunnel control systems, simulation lower bounds, and formal methods for critical systems, reflecting both theoretical depth and practical application.

Scientific Awards:

• Best Paper Award FACS 2018
• FMICS-AVoCS Best Paper Award (2017)

Jan Friso Groote has held significant leadership roles in education, including Director of Education for Computer Science (2000–2010) and for multiple bachelor’s and master’s programs. He has advised numerous researchers and supervised a large body of research output (over 320 publications). He leads the Formal System Analysis group and has been involved in projects such as 'Composable Embedded Systems for Healthcare'. His work bridges academia and industry, particularly through collaborations with ASML and Rijkswaterstaat, and he has been a visiting researcher at institutions across Europe and China.

He is a key contributor to the mCRL2 toolset, which supports modeling and verification of software behavior with data, time, and probabilities. His research fingerprints highlight strong expertise in model checking, transition systems, software design, and process algebra. He teaches courses such as System Validation, Embedded Software, and Capita Selecta in Formal System Analysis.