What I find interesting
My professional interest is in what people call Formal Methods, more specifically in
interactive theorem proving, software verification, and semantics of programming languages.
Generally, I want software systems to be dependable, and I think that formal
specification and proof can make a significant contribution towards that goal.
My background is in compiler construction (which inspired me to write JFlex),
user interfaces (on which I did my degree), software engineering (on which I spent many of my undergrad years),
and, of course, logic, theorem-proving and semantics (on which I did my PhD).
See my projects and publications
for a sample of what I have worked on. I am known for the formal verification of the seL4 microkernel and
my work in interactive theorem proving.
When I am not proving theorems, teaching students, or writing open source software, I
might be spotted reading books (ranging from SF to linguistics and history), hiking in the Outback, going to
the cinema or enjoying Sydney's beautiful beaches. I have long been fascinated by martial arts,
having done Judo as a kid, later Karate, Taiji Quan, and Russian Systema.
