Gordon Plotkin awarded the EATCS Award 2014

I am pleased to report that Gordon Plotkin will receive the EATCS Award 2014 for his lifetime contribution of a research corpus of exceptional depth and influence across a broad range of areas within theoretical computer science. The committee for the EATCS Award 2014 consisted of Leslie Goldberg (chair), Kim G. Larsen and Vladimiro Sassone.

Plotkin is renowned for his ground-breaking contributions to programming language semantics, which have helped to shape the landscape of theoretical computer science, and which have impacted upon the design of programming languages and their verification technologies. The influence of his pioneering work on logical frameworks pervades modern proof technologies. In addition, he has made outstanding contributions in machine learning, automated theorem proving, and computer-assisted reasoning. He is still active in research at the topmost level, with his current activities placing him at the forefront of fields as diverse as programming semantics, applied logic, and systems biology. Alongside his scientific contributions of the highest calibre, he helped to lay the foundations of the theoretical computer science community, shaping the careers of generations of researchers.

Congratulations to Gordon! 

ICALP 2014 CFP

The ICALP 2014 deadline is rapidly approaching. I hope that you are making plans to submit your best work to the conference! Copenhagen and Vienna will be the places to be this July for a plethora of events across the spectrum of in TCS.

ICALP 2014: Call for Papers

The 41st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP) takes place from Tuesday, 8 July 2014 to Friday, 11 July 2014 at IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

ICALP is the main conference and annual meeting of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS). The main conference is preceded by a series of workshops on Monday, 7 July 2014.

Web site: icalp2014.itu.dk
Local organisation: Thore Husfeldt (chair), ITU
Contact: icalp2014@itu.dk

Important dates

Submission deadline: Friday, 14 February 2014,
Submission server: www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icalp2014
Author notification: Friday, 11 April 2014
Final manuscript due: Monday, 28 April 2014
Early registration: To be announced
Conference: 8 July 2014 to 11 July 2014

Invited speakers

Sanjeev Arora, Princeton University
Maurice Herlihy, Brown University
Victor Kuncak, EPFL Lausanne
Claire Mathieu, ENS Paris

Proceedings

ICALP proceedings are published in the Springer-Verlag ARCoSS (Advanced Research in Computing and Software Science) subseries of LNCS (Lecture Notes in Computer Science).

Topics

Papers presenting original research on all aspects of theoretical computer science are sought. Typical but not exclusive topics of interest are:

Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games

* Algorithmic Game Theory
* Approximation Algorithms
* Combinatorial Optimization
* Combinatorics in Computer Science
* Computational Biology
* Computational Complexity
* Computational Geometry
* Cryptography
* Data Structures
* Design and Analysis of Algorithms
* Machine Learning
* Parallel, Distributed and External Memory Computing
* Randomness in Computation
* Quantum Computing

Track B: Logic, Semantics, Automata and Theory of Programming

* Algebraic and Categorical Models
* Automata Theory, Formal Languages
* Emerging and Non-standard Models of Computation
* Databases, Semi-Structured Data and Finite Model Theory
* Principles of Programming Languages
* Logics, Formal Methods and Model Checking
* Models of Concurrent, Distributed, and Mobile Systems
* Models of Reactive, Hybrid and Stochastic Systems
* Program Analysis and Transformation
* Specification, Refinement and Verification
* Type Systems and Theory, Typed Calculi

Track C: Foundations of Networked Computation: Models, Algorithms and Information Management

* Algorithmic Aspects of Networks
* E-commerce, Privacy, Spam
* Formal Methods for Network Information Management
* Foundations of Trust and Reputation in Networks
* Algorithms and Models for Mobile and Wireless Networks and Computation
* Models of Complex Networks
* Models and Algorithms for Global Computing
* Network Economics and Incentive-Based Computing Related to Networks
* Models and Algorithms for Networks of Low Capability Devices
* Overlay Networks and P2P Systems
* Social Networks
* Specification, Semantics, Synchronization of Networked Systems
* Theory of Security in Networks and Distributed Computing
* Web Searching and Ranking
* Web Mining and Analysis

Submission Guidlines

Authors are invited to submit an extended abstract of no more than 12 pages in LNCS style presenting original research on the theory of Computer Science. Submissions should indicate to which track (A, B, or C) the paper is submitted. No prior publication or simultaneous submission to other publication outlets (either a conference or a journal) is allowed. The proceedings will be published in the Lecture Notes in Computer Science Series by Springer-Verlag. It is strongly recommended that submissions adhere to the specified format and length. Submissions that are clearly too long may be rejected immediately. Material other than the abstract, references and the first 12 pages may be considered as supplementary and will be read at the committee's discretion.

Best Paper Awards

As in previous editions of ICALP, there will be best paper and best student paper awards for each track of the conference. In order to be eligible for a best student paper award, a paper should be authored only by students and should be marked as such upon submission.

Committees

Track A: Algorithms, complexity, and games

* Elias Koutsoupias (chair), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
* Dimitris Achlioptas, UC Santa Cruz, USA
* Pankaj Agrawal, Duke University, USA
* Nikhil Bansal, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
* Gerth Stoting Brodal, Aarhus University, Denmark
* Jean Cardinal, Universite libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
* Ning Chen, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
* Giorgos Christodoulou, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
* Xiaotie Deng, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
* Ilias Diakonikolas, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
* Chaled Elbassioni, Masdar Institute, Abu Dhabi
* Amos Fiat, Tel Aviv University, Israel
* Leslie Goldberg, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
* Vipul Goyal, Microsoft, India
* Giuseppe Italiano, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Italy
* Marcin Kaminski, University of Warsaw, Poland
* Haim Kaplan, Tel Aviv University, Israel
* Ioardanis Kerenidis, University of Paris «Diderot», France
* Anna Karlin, University of Washington, USA
* Robert Krauthgamer, Weizmann Institute, Israel
* James Lee, University of Washington, USA
* Ashwin Nayak, University of Waterloo, Canada
* Jared Saia, University of New Mexico, USA
* Piotr Sankowski, University of Warsaw, Poland
* Maria Serna, UP Catalunya, Spain
* Christian Sohler, TU Dortmund, Germany
* Ryan Williams, Stanford, USA

Track B: Logic, semantics, automata and theory of Programming

* Javier Esparza (chair), Technische Universitat Munchen
* Paolo    Baldan,    Dipartimento di Matematica Pura e Applicata, Universita' di Padova
* Michele Boreale, Universita di Firenze
* Tomas Brazdil, Masaryk University
* Veronique    Bruyere, University of Mons
* Veronique    Cortier, CNRS, Loria
* Anuj Dawar, University of Cambridge
* Kousha Etessami, University of Edinburgh
* Maribel Fernandez, KCL
* David    Frutos Escrig, Universidad Complutense
* Pierre Ganty, IMDEA Software Institute
* Peter Habermehl, LIAFA University Paris 7
* Manfred Kufleitner, University of Stuttgart
* Stawomir Lasota, Warsaw University
* Oded Maler, CNRS-VERIMAG
* Sebastian Maneth, NICTA and UNSW
* Madhavan Mukund, Chennai Mathematical Institute
* Jens Palsberg, UCLA
* Thomas Schwentick, Universitt Dortmund
* Sonja Smets, University of Amsterdam
* Jiri Srba, Department of Computer Science, Aalborg University
* Steve Zdancewic, University of Pennsylvania

Track C: Foundations of networked computation: Models, algorithms and information management

* Pierre Fraigniaud (chair), CNRS and University Paris Diderot
* Andrea Clementi, Roma Tor Vergata
* Benjamin Doerr, Max-Planck-Institut
* Panagiota Fatourou, University of Crete
* Michal Feldman, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
* Antonio Fernandez Anta, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
* Leszek Gasieniec, University of Liverpool
* Phillip B. Gibbons. Intel Labs
* Magnus Halldorsson, Reykjavik University
* Robert Kleinberg, Cornell
* Anne-Marie Kermarrec, INRIA Rennes
* Michal Koucky, Czech Academy of Sciences
* Gopal Pandurangan, Nanyang Tech. University
* Boaz Patt-Shamir, Tel-Aviv University
* Andrea Pietracaprina
* Andrea Richa, Arizona State University
* Luis Rodrigues, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa
* Christian Scheideler
* Jukka Suomela, University of Helsinki
* Philipp Woelfel, University of Calgary

Workshops

ICALP 2014 hosts a number of workshops on Monday 7 July 2014 at ITU.

Contact the ICALP organisers ( icalp2014@itu.dk) if you are interested in arranging a workshop. Registration, lunches, and rooms are provided by the ICALP conference organisation.

TOLA (Trends in Online Algorithms) 2014

The purpose of this workshop is to bring together researchers interested in all aspects of online algorithms, including classical competitive analysis, alternative performance measures, and advice complexity.

Two faculty positions at the School of Computer Science, Reykjavik University

At long last, we are hiring! Student numbers have sky-rocketed and we now have more than 900 students enrolled in CS degree programs. We were, and still are, bursting at the seams, but these hires should help. Do consider applying if you are looking for an academic position and you have a strong research profile. 

 

 

Faculty positions
School of Computer Science
Reykjavik University

The School of Computer Science at Reykjavik University invites applications for two faculty positions at the rank of an assistant professor, to begin in August 2014.  We are looking for energetic, highly qualified academics who, apart from developing their own research programs, will strengthen some of the existing research areas within the School, or build bridges between them or with industry.  Applications from all areas of computer science are welcomed, but of particular interest are candidates in systems, broadly construed, and other applied areas.

Candidates are expected to have a proven international research record and will be expected to play a full part in the teaching and administrative activities of the School. A PhD in computer science or closely related field is required.

The application deadline is March 1st, 2014.  For further details on the positions and the School of Computer Science at Reykjavik University, see http://en.ru.is/the-university/open-positions/.

One postdoctoral position at Reykjavik University

Nominal Structural Operational Semantics

School of Computer Science, Reykjavik University

One postdoctoral position

Applications are invited for one postdoctoral position at the School of Computer Science, Reykjavik University.  The position is part of a research project funded by the Icelandic Research Fund, under the direction of Luca Aceto and Anna Ingolfsdottir. The general aim of the project is to bring the framework of Nominal Structural Operational Semantics, proposed by Cimini, Mousavi, Reniers and Gabbay, to a level of maturity that is comparable to that of the standard theory of Structural Operational Semantics. More specifically, the main general goals of the research project are

• to provide further evidence that Nominal SOS is expressive enough to capture the original semantics of nominal calculi, such as value-passing CCS, variants of the (higher-order) pi-calculus, the spi-calculus, the psi-calculi and the object calculi, and to prove formally the correspondence between the presentation in terms of Nominal SOS and the original ones;
• to develop the meta-theory of Nominal SOS and to extend a wealth of classic SOS meta-results and techniques to the framework of Nominal SOS; and
• to provide tool support for Nominal SOS.

See here for details on the project.

The successful candidates will benefit from, and contribute to, the research environment at the Icelandic Centre of Excellence in Theoretical Computer Science (ICE-TCS). For information about ICE-TCS and its activities, see

http://www.icetcs.ru.is/.

Qualification requirements

Applicants for the postdoctoral position should have, or be about to hold, a PhD degree in Computer Science or closely related fields. Previous knowledge of at least one of concurrency theory, process calculi, (structural) operational semantics and logic in computer science is highly desirable.

Remuneration

The wage is 400,000 ISK (roughly 2,550 € at the present exchange rate) per month before taxes. The position is for two years, starting on August 1, 2014 (earlier starting dates are possible), and is renewable for another year, based on good performance and mutual satisfaction.

Application details

Interested applicants should send their CV, including a list of publications, in PDF to both addresses below, together with a statement outlining their suitability for the project and the names of at least two referees.

Anna Ingolfsdottir
email: annai@ru.is

Luca Aceto
email: luca@ru.is

We will start reviewing applications on February 14, 2014, and will continue to accept applications until the position is filled.