Michael Benedikt

Michael Benedikt is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Oxford and a Governing Body Fellow of University College. He holds the role of Director of the Advanced MSc in Computer Science program. His research focuses on databases, Web data management, logical methods in computer science, and theoretical computer science. Benedikt's work intersects with artificial intelligence, machine learning, and algorithms, with contributions to query languages, data integration, and formal methods.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Mathematics, University of Wisconsin, 1993
• Prior roles: Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at Bell Laboratories (1994–2006), visiting researcher at Yahoo! Labs

Research Interests:

• Databases and information exchange
• Web and Web 2.0 data management
• Logical methods in computer science
• Formal verification and query optimization
• Applications in AI and machine learning

Key Projects:

• FOX: Query-driven data acquisition from web-based sources
• PDQ: Proof-driven query answering over web-based data
• TRANCE: Transforming nested collections efficiently

Awards:

• Best Paper Award at ICALP 2017 (Track B)
• EPSRC Established Career Fellowship (2015–2020)

Advising & Grants:

• Directed the MSc in Advanced Computer Science program
• Supervised PhD students including Chia-Hsuan Lu and past advisees such as Luying Chen and Ben Spencer
• Received funding for projects like the ERC DIADEM initiative

Labs & Teams: Active in the Department of Computer Science’s research groups, including the Algorithms At Large and Databases teams.