We cordially invite you to the CASA Distinguished Lecture on September 3, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.
When: 03.09.2025, 10:00 AM
Where: Open Space MC
Abstract:
Probabilistic programs encode randomized algorithms, robot controllers, AI learning components, training data for neural networks, security mechanisms, and much more. They are however hard to grasp. Not only by humans, also by computers: checking elementary properties related to e.g., termination are "more undecidable" than for ordinary programs. I will present what probabilistic programs are, show some of their applications, and indicate the state of the art in the semi-automated verification of such programs.
Bio:
Joost-Pieter Katoen is a distinguished professor at RWTH Aachen University. He is a vice-rector for teaching and studies and leads the Software Modeling and Verification (MOVES) group in the CS department. He is part-time affiliated to the University of Twente. His main research interests are model checking, concurrency theory, program analysis, probabilistic programming, and formal semantics. He co-authored over 350 papers and is known from his joint book with Christel baier "Principles of Model Checking", a bestseller the field. He received numerous best paper awards and other honors, most recently the JCL Award 2023 in Dependable Computing. He is a member of the Academia Europaea, the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW) and the German Academy of Sciences "Leopoldina" (2024). He received an honorary doctorate from Aalborg University (2017) and is an ACM Fellow (2020).
