Joël Ouaknine

Joël Ouaknine is Scientific Director at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems (MPI-SWS) located at the Saarland Informatics Campus in Saarbrücken, Germany. He leads the Foundations of Algorithmic Verification research group and serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of the ACM (JACM) since 2023 and previously for the Journal of Computer and System Sciences (JCSS) from 2014-2023.

His research focuses on the Foundations of Algorithmic Verification and Theoretical Computer Science, particularly on decision, control, and synthesis problems for discrete and continuous linear dynamical systems using tools from number theory, Diophantine geometry, and algebraic geometry. His work also encompasses automated verification of real-time, probabilistic, and infinite-state systems, logic applications to verification, automated software analysis, and concurrency. His research integrates deep mathematical techniques with computer science theory to solve fundamental verification problems.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward solving decision problems in linear dynamical systems, with increasing emphasis on connections to number theory and algebraic geometry. His work bridges theoretical computer science with pure mathematics, particularly in addressing the Skolem Problem and related questions about linear recurrence sequences. Recent publications show growing interest in monadic second-order logic extensions and their applications to dynamical systems.

• Distinguished Paper Award at LICS 2024 for work on monadic second-order logic with arithmetic predicates
• ACM SIGBED Best Paper Award in 2024 for research on linear dynamical systems with continuous weight functions
• LICS Test-of-Time Award Winner in 2025 for a seminal 2007 paper on Metric Temporal Logic

Dr. Ouaknine currently supervises PhD students Piotr Bacik, Joris Nieuwveld, and Mihir Vahanwala, and mentors postdocs Quentin Guilmant, Toghrul Karimov, and Isa Vialard. His research is supported by significant funding including an ERC Synergy Grant (2025-2031) as Coordinating Principal Investigator for the DynAMiCs project, and DFG Collaborative Research Centre 248 (2022-2026) as Principal Investigator for the Foundations of Perspicuous Software Systems. His previous ERC Consolidator Grant (2015-2021) supported work on Analysis, Verification, and Synthesis of Infinite-State Systems.

He actively contributes to the academic community through service on numerous program committees including ICALP, LICS, CONCUR, and serves as organizer for workshops like Dynaverse and Bellairs. His research group at MPI-SWS collaborates extensively with mathematicians and computer scientists worldwide, creating a vibrant interdisciplinary environment focused on solving fundamental problems at the intersection of computer science and mathematics.