Christoph Koch is a Full Professor in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences at EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) , Switzerland. He has held academic positions at Cornell University (2007-2010, 2006), Saarland University (2005-2007), and TU Vienna (2001-2005). His research focuses on database systems, logic, programming languages, and data management.
Matthew Lakin is an Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Computer Science at the University of New Mexico, with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering. He is affiliated with the UNM Center for Biomedical Engineering and the School of Engineering, and collaborates extensively with the UNM Health Sciences Center and external institutions. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Cambridge, 2010 M.A. (Cantab), University of Cambridge, 2009 B.A. (Hons), Computer Science, University of Cambridge, 2005 Dr. Lakin's research focuses on molecular computing, DNA nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and formal verification of biomolecular circuits. He develops computational models and experimental systems for programmable biological devices, especially using heterochiral DNA to enhance stability in living cells. His work spans software tools for biodesign and experimental validation in mammalian systems, with applications in nanomedicine and biosensing. The recent publications highlight a strong trend in engineering robust, intelligent biomolecular systems. His work integrates machine learning concepts into chemical reaction networks, advances geometric modeling of DNA systems, and pioneers L-DNA-based circuits for intracellular applications. The research spans theoretical foundations, software tools, and wet-lab experimentation, emphasizing interdisciplinary innovation. Scientific Awards: Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), 2025 NSF CAREER Award, 2021 UNM School of Engineering Junior Faculty Research Excellence Award, 2021 Multiple student awards under his mentorship, including the Outstanding Graduate Student Award and DNA28 Best Student Presentation recognition Dr. Lakin has advised numerous graduate and undergraduate students, including Ph.D. graduates in Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science. He leads major funded projects such as the NSF CAREER grant on heterochiral molecular computing, an EPSCoR Research Fellowship, and a $3M NSF grant on heavy metal biosensing in collaboration with Native American communities. He is also PI on multiple NSF grants related to synthetic cells and nucleic acid technologies. He directs the Lakin Lab for Programmable Biology, which operates within the Department of Computer Science and collaborates with Chemical & Biological Engineering and the Center for Biomedical Engineering. The lab emphasizes both computational modeling and experimental molecular biology, and runs an NSF-funded biotechnology summer camp in partnership with ¡Explora! science museum to strengthen STEM education in New Mexico.
Professor Alessandra Russo leads the Structured and Probabilistic Knowledge Engineering (SPIKE) research group at Imperial College London's Department of Computing. With expertise spanning computational logic, symbolic machine learning, and neuro-symbolic AI, she develops foundational AI techniques applied to security, network management, healthcare, and adaptive systems. Professor Russo holds a PhD in Computing from Imperial College London and an MSc in Computer Science from Ionian University. Her research pioneers logic-based learning systems for intelligent adaptive technologies, with projects including declarative networking for security management, privacy-preserving federated learning, and hybrid neuro-symbolic approaches for robust reasoning. Her current work focuses on developing interpretable AI systems through neuro-symbolic integration, creating frameworks that combine neural networks with symbolic reasoning for explainable decision-making. Recent publications explore rule learning from knowledge graphs, transformer-based world models, and formal methods for representation learning. Professor Russo teaches courses on Logic-Based Learning and AI Applications, and has received the Google PhD Fellowship for her research contributions. She mentors numerous PhD students in areas spanning theoretical foundations and practical applications of computational logic and machine learning.
Mohsen Lesani is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz's Baskin School of Engineering. His research focuses on reliability and security of software systems, particularly concurrent and distributed systems, with recent emphasis on secure replicated systems and distributed machine learning. Dr. Lesani received his PhD from UCLA, MS in artificial intelligence from Sharif University of Technology, and BS in software engineering from University of Tehran. He was previously a postdoc at MIT. His educational background provides a strong foundation for his interdisciplinary research spanning programming languages, distributed systems, and security. His research interests center on creating reliable and secure distributed systems. Current projects include resilient and secure distributed systems, heterogeneous and reconfigurable secure distributed systems, automatic analysis and synthesis of replicated objects, verification of distributed systems, data analytics, secure exchange across blockchains, machine learning for performance models, domain-specific languages and type systems, and automatic fence insertion for concurrent systems. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical implementations to address real-world challenges in distributed computing. Lesani's research has been recognized with several prestigious awards including the NSF CAREER award in 2020 and DARPA YFA award in 2022. His work has also received the SIGPLAN Research Highlight in 2019, a distinguished paper award at OOPSLA 2018, and a best paper award at ISSRE 2015. These accolades reflect the impact and quality of his contributions to the field. He actively mentors PhD students in the Safe and Secure Software (S3) lab, including Xiao Li, Eric Chan, Javad Saber-Latibari, and Tejas Mane. His research has been supported by multiple NSF grants, demonstrating sustained funding for his innovative work. Lesani serves on program committees for major conferences including POPL, PLDI, OOPSLA, and DISC, contributing to the academic community. Lesani leads the Safe and Secure Software (S3) lab at UC Santa Cruz, where his team works on cutting-edge research in distributed systems, programming languages, and security. The lab fosters a collaborative environment where theoretical insights are translated into practical systems that address real-world challenges in reliability and security of distributed applications.
Tom Schrijvers is a Professor at the Department of Computer Science in the Faculty of Engineering Science at KU Leuven, Belgium. He leads the Programming Languages Group within the Declarative Languages and Artificial Intelligence (DTAI) research group. His research focuses on programming languages, particularly functional and logic programming, with special emphasis on Haskell, type systems, and algebraic effects. His research interests include: Functional Programming, especially Haskell Type Systems and Type Theory Algebraic Effects and Handlers Logic Programming, particularly Prolog Constraint Programming Domain-Specific Languages Programming Language Theory Prof. Schrijvers' recent research has focused on effect systems, staged programming, and language composition. His work on algebraic effect handlers has been particularly influential, providing new insights into how effects can be modularly composed and handled in functional languages. He has also made significant contributions to the understanding of type classes and their implementation in Haskell. His publications demonstrate a consistent focus on practical applications of programming language theory, with work spanning from foundational type theory to applied domain-specific languages for areas like fluorescence microscopy. His research often bridges the gap between theoretical programming language concepts and practical implementation concerns. Prof. Schrijvers has supervised numerous PhD students to completion, including Pieter Wuille, Benoit Desouter, George Karachalias, Steven Keuchel, Amr Saleh, Alexander Vandenbroucke, and Ruben Pieters. He currently supervises PhD students Klara Mardirosian, César Santos, Gert-Jan Bottu, Koen Pauwels, Birthe van den Berg, and Roger Bosman. His research group has received funding from various sources including EU projects like GRACeFUL. The Programming Languages Group at KU Leuven, which he leads, focuses on functional (Haskell) and logic (Prolog, Datalog, CLP) programming languages, as well as general programming language theory. The group has been active in numerous research projects and collaborations across Europe.
Sebastijan Dumancic is an Assistant Professor at Delft University of Technology, focusing on neuro-symbolic AI through program synthesis and probabilistic programming. He leads the RAIL lab and collaborates with institutions like Harvard, MIT, and CNRS. His research bridges symbolic AI and machine learning, applying program synthesis to scientific discovery, transportation, and robotics. He holds an FWO-funded PhD from KU Leuven and has participated in initiatives like ELLIS and the Symbolic Computation and Machine Learning Initiative. Program synthesis Probabilistic programming Neuro-symbolic AI Constraint-based learning His recent articles highlight advancements in program synthesis, neuro-symbolic integration, and constraint satisfaction. Projects like Find2Fix and Intelligent Greenhouse Horticulture (funded by NWO) demonstrate practical applications. ELLIS Membership University Teaching Qualification He supervises numerous MSc and PhD students in projects involving logic programming, program synthesis, and probabilistic modeling. Active in workshops and symposia, he contributes to neuro-symbolic AI and scientific discovery.
Pierre Flener is a Professor at the Department of Information Technology, Division of Computing Science at Uppsala University. He leads the Optimisation Group and is a member of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Mathematics. His work focuses on constraint programming and discrete optimization, addressing complex scheduling, routing, and resource allocation challenges. Flener is an Officer of the Order of Merit of Luxembourg and co-founder of NordConsNet, the Nordic Network for Constraint Programming researchers. Research Interests: Flener’s research spans constraint programming, combinatorial optimization, and algorithm design. He develops models and tools for automated decision-making in domains like air traffic management, sensor networks, and industrial robotics. His work emphasizes practical applications, leveraging constraint satisfaction techniques to solve real-world puzzles such as vehicle routing and personnel allocation. Key Contributions: Flener has authored over 100 publications on constraint solving, symmetry breaking, and CP-based approaches to industrial problems. Notable projects include airspace sectorization optimization, energy-efficient sensor networks, and financial portfolio design. He has led initiatives like Auto-Tabling for MiniZinc and collaborated on CP applications in bioinformatics and image processing. Labs & Teams: He heads the Optimisation Group at Uppsala, fostering research in CP and its applications. NordConsNet, co-founded by Flener, connects Nordic researchers and practitioners in constraint technology.
Emanuel Sallinger is a Full Professor at TU Wien's Databases and Artificial Intelligence Group and Vice Dean of Academic Affairs for Business Informatics and Data Science. He leads the Knowledge Graph Lab, focusing on scalable knowledge-based systems, reasoning in knowledge graphs, and AI integration. His research spans computational logic, database theory, and blockchain applications. Education: PhD in Computer Science (awarded 'sub auspiciis praesidentis rei publicae'), Master's degrees in Computational Intelligence and Informatics Management, and a Bachelor's in Software and Information Engineering. Research Interests: Knowledge graphs (construction, reasoning, scalability), logic-based systems, AI/ML integration with databases, enterprise architecture modeling, and financial knowledge systems. His work emphasizes practical applications like enterprise modeling, sustainable waste management, and regulatory compliance. Grants & Projects: Lead Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF)-funded Knowledge Graph Lab. Involved in projects like 'Knowledge Graph-driven Tour Management' (sustainability), 'SustainGraph' (waste processing), and 'Enterprise Architecture Knowledge Graphs'. Teaching: Offers courses on Knowledge Graphs, Generative AI, Database Systems, and research methodology. Supervises doctoral and master's students in AI, databases, and knowledge representation. Labs/Teams: Knowledge Graph Lab at TU Wien, collaborating with industry on blockchain-based systems, financial AI, and enterprise architecture frameworks.
Dr. David Cock is a Senior Lecturer and Senior Researcher at ETH Zürich's Department of Computer Science, affiliated with the Systems Group. He holds a PhD from UNSW (2014) and a B.Sc. (hons) from UNSW (2004). His research focuses on formal verification, trustworthy systems, and hardware-software co-design, with notable contributions to projects like Enzian (a CPU/FPGA platform) and seL4 (formally verified kernel). He teaches Advanced Operating Systems and Informal Methods courses. Key achievements include the ACM Software System Award (2022) for seL4 and leadership in projects addressing hardware complexity and security. Research interests include formal methods for hardware modeling (Sockeye project), runtime verification, and mitigating timing channels. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical systems, emphasizing secure and reliable computing platforms. Projects like Trustworthy BMC aim to enhance baseboard management systems' assurance. Collaborations span academia and industry, with open-source contributions to hardware designs and formal tools. Publications span formal verification, hardware modeling, and secure systems, with recent focus on heterogeneous computing and declarative hardware specifications. Teaching emphasizes practical formal techniques and OS design, leveraging real-world hardware (e.g., Barrelfish). His lab, the Systems Group, explores cutting-edge challenges in systems software and architecture.
David A. Plaisted is a Research Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined UNC-Chapel Hill as a full professor after serving on the faculty of the Computer Science Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign until 1984. His academic career spans several decades with significant contributions to automated reasoning and computational logic. Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of Chicago (1970) Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University (1976) Professor Plaisted's research focuses on mechanical theorem proving, term rewriting systems, logic programming, and algorithms. His work in term-rewriting systems investigates methods of combining them with first-order theorem provers, including techniques for applying efficient permutation group algorithms to equational theorem proving. In mechanical theorem proving, he has developed a sequence of methods including clause linking with semantics and ordered semantic hyper-linking. His research in logic programming includes developing tests to eliminate the occurrence check in Prolog while maintaining semantics. His work spans theoretical foundations to practical applications in program verification and generation. His recent publications demonstrate continued innovation in automated reasoning, particularly in semantic guidance for theorem proving. His work shows a consistent focus on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of automated deduction systems, with recent contributions to SGGS (Semantically-Guided Goal-Sensitive) theorem proving and analysis of the relationship between semantics and unification in proof systems. Professor Plaisted has served on numerous program committees and editorial boards including the Journal of Symbolic Computation, Information Processing Letters, Mathematical Systems Theory, and Fundamenta Informaticae. He is currently on the editorial board of ACM Transactions on Computational Logic and the electronic Journal of Functional and Logic Programming. He has organized significant conferences including serving as co-chair of the Second International Conference on Rewriting Techniques and Applications in 1987. He has spent several sabbaticals at prestigious institutions including SRI in Menlo Park (1982-1983), the Max-Planck Institute and University of Kaiserslautern in Germany (1993-1994), and research visits to groups in Grenoble and Nancy, France (1998).
Ori Lahav is a faculty member in the School of Computer Science at Tel Aviv University. His research is generously supported by an ERC Starting Grant and an ISF Grant. He actively supervises PhD and MSc students, and seeks highly motivated candidates for postdoc, PhD, and MSc positions in programming language theory, concurrency, and formal methods. Dr. Lahav completed his PhD at Tel Aviv University under the supervision of Arnon Avron. In 2014, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Tel Aviv University hosted by Mooly Sagiv. From 2014 to September 2017, he was a postdoctoral researcher at MPI-SWS in Germany hosted by Viktor Vafeiadis and Derek Dreyer. His primary research areas focus on programming languages and verification, with specialization in concurrency and relaxed memory models. He also has significant interests in proof-theory, semantics of non-classical logics, and automated reasoning. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in programming language design and implementation. Dr. Lahav's publication record shows a consistent trajectory of high-impact research in top-tier conferences including PLDI, POPL, OOPSLA, and ESOP. His recent work (2023-2025) demonstrates continued leadership in memory models, concurrency semantics, and verification techniques. His research spans both theoretical contributions in denotational semantics and practical tools for verification. Best Paper Award DISC 2024 Best Student Paper Award DISC 2024 Distinguished Artifact Award ESOP 2022 Distinguished Paper Award OOPSLA 2021 Kleene Award for Best Student Paper LICS 2013 Dr. Lahav actively advises students including Yoav Ben Shimon, Yotam Dvir, Amir Karniel, and Roy Margalit (PhD students), Yuval Katsman Ezra (MSc student), and has alumni including Ori Saporta (MSc) and Abhishek Kr Singh (postdoc, now Assistant Professor at IIIT Hyderabad). He has organized significant events including VMCAI 2024 and Dagstuhl Seminars on persistent programming. His teaching portfolio includes courses on Shared Memory Concurrency Semantics, Programming Language Foundations, and Software Foundations in Coq.
Hans Tompits is an Associate Professor in the Department of Knowledge-Based Systems at Technische Universität Wien (Vienna University of Technology). His research focuses on computational logic, declarative logic programming, and formal methods, with a particular emphasis on Answer-Set Programming (ASP). He coordinates the Master's program in Logic and Computation and leads projects in areas such as formal methods for optimization, fault-tolerant autonomous systems, and algorithmic composition. His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical applications, including tools like SeaLion (an ASP IDE with debugging support) and dlvhex (an ASP-based semantic web reasoner). He has contributed to foundational topics like program equivalence, debugging techniques, and integration of ASP with external systems. His recent projects address challenges in autonomous vehicle architectures, music composition algorithms, and safety-critical system design. Tompits has published extensively on topics ranging from nonmonotonic reasoning and modal logics to the development of declarative programming tools. His interdisciplinary approach spans computer science, mathematics, and AI, with applications in both academic and industrial contexts.
Amin Mesmoudi serves as Associate Professor in Data Engineering at the University of Poitiers' IUT (Institut Universitaire de Technologie), with dual laboratory affiliations at LIAS-ENSIP (Poitiers campus) and LIAS-ISAE-ENSMA (Chasseneuil campus). His research bridges theoretical database systems with practical large-scale data engineering challenges, particularly in semantic web technologies and machine learning applications. The laboratory maintains physical presences at both ENSIP's Bâtiment B25 in Poitiers and ISAE-ENSMA's Téléport 2 facility in Chasseneuil, facilitating cross-institutional collaboration. Mesmoudi's research program centers on scalable data management systems, with three interconnected pillars: (1) RDF and graph-based query optimization techniques for billion-triple datasets, (2) machine learning integration for spatial query performance and anomaly detection, and (3) explainability frameworks for complex black-box models. His work demonstrates consistent evolution from foundational database systems (2011-2016) toward contemporary AI-driven data engineering, particularly evident in his 2023-2025 publications on temporal dependency preservation and co-selection explainability. The Data Engineering team within LIAS laboratory provides the primary research context for these investigations. Publication analysis reveals strong methodological continuity in addressing scalability bottlenecks across database paradigms. Early work focused on SQL-on-MapReduce benchmarking for astronomy databases (2015-2016), transitioning to specialized RDF processing frameworks (2019-2021), and culminating in current hybrid approaches combining temporal modeling with machine learning (2023-2025). Key technical themes include fragmentation strategies for distributed data, optimizer feedback mechanisms, and graph-based query acceleration - all targeting real-world performance constraints in big data environments. As a core member of LIAS laboratory's Data Engineering team, Mesmoudi contributes to France's national research infrastructure in computer science and automation systems. The laboratory's dual-university structure enables unique cross-pollination between University of Poitiers' academic programs and ISAE-ENSMA's engineering specialization, with Mesmoudi's work exemplifying this synergy through applications spanning astronomy databases to wireless sensor networks.
Prof. Dr. Zeki Bayram is a full Professor and current Chairman of the Computer Engineering Department at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU). He has served as the founding chairman of the Internet Technologies Research Center (2006) and chaired the departmental ABET committee from 2010 to 2023. His academic contributions span semantic web services, mobile payment systems, and XML-based technologies. Founded Cybersoft Bilişim Teknolojileri Limited, a dormant software company in North Cyprus Active in academic service, including thesis supervision and editorial roles Teaches courses on programming languages, automata theory, and software tools Research focuses on semantic web service composition, secure payment schemes, and declarative programming paradigms. His work integrates logic programming, constraint solving, and ontology engineering. Prof. Bayram has published extensively in journals and conferences since the 1990s, with notable contributions to formal methods in service-oriented architectures.
Fabrizio Riguzzi is a Full Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Ferrara, Italy. His academic career spans over two decades at the same institution, having served as Associate Professor (2014-2020) and Assistant Professor/Ricercatore (1999-2014). He is an active researcher in the fields of Logic Programming and Statistical Relational Artificial Intelligence with numerous publications and leadership roles in international conferences. His educational background includes: PhD in Electronic and Computer Engineering from the University of Bologna (1999) Laurea in Computer Engineering from the University of Bologna (1995) Riguzzi's research focuses on probabilistic approaches to artificial intelligence, particularly probabilistic logic programming and statistical relational AI. His work bridges symbolic reasoning with probabilistic methods, developing frameworks for uncertain knowledge representation and reasoning. He has made significant contributions to probabilistic answer set programming, neuro-symbolic integration, and applications in areas like network intrusion detection and knowledge graph completion. His research demonstrates how logical formalisms can be enhanced with probabilistic reasoning to tackle real-world problems with uncertainty. An analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward integrating neural and symbolic approaches in AI, with significant work on probabilistic answer set programming frameworks. His research spans theoretical foundations of probabilistic logic programming, practical implementations, and applications in cybersecurity, knowledge graphs, and decision-making under uncertainty. The interdisciplinary nature of his work connects computer science theory with practical AI applications. His notable awards include: Alain Colmerauer 10-Year Test-of-Time Award at ICLP 2021 Best Paper Award for "BUNDLE: A Reasoner for Probabilistic Ontologies" at RR-2013 Highly Commended Paper Award for "Probabilistic declarative process mining" at KSEM 2010 Riguzzi has supervised several PhD students to completion, including Elena Bellodi, Riccardo Zese, and Giuseppe Cota, who have gone on to win prestigious awards for their theses. He has served in numerous editorial roles, including Associate Editor of the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research and Editor in Chief of Intelligenza Artificiale. His leadership extends to organizing major conferences like ILP 2018 and serving on program committees for top AI venues including IJCAI, AAAI, and ECAI. He is a member of the ML@unife research group and has developed several online systems including cplint, TRILL, and an Online AUC calculator. His work has fostered collaborations across the AI research community, particularly in the areas of probabilistic logic programming and neuro-symbolic AI.