Joseph Sifakis

Scientist

Βorn in Heraklion, Crete, Joseph Sifakis is a Professor of Computer Science and a CNRS Research Director. He is recognized for his pioneering work on theoretical and practical aspects of concurrent systems specification and verification. In 2007 he received the Turing Award, which is seen as the ‘Nobel Prize” for Informatics/Computing.

Professor Sifakis is the founder of the Verimag laboratory in Grenoble, which is a leading research laboratory in the area of critical embedded systems. There, in collaboration with leading industry partners he has developed the SCADE tool, which is used by Airbus and other industry members for the design and validation of their critical real-time systems. He is a leading researcher in the area of embedded systems and the founding father of the Model Checking, which is the main method for systems validation. Sifakis has worked with many industry companies and organisations and he has been an advisor to government agencies, institutions and companies

Joseph Sifakis studied Electrical Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens. He has received a doctorate and a state doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Grenoble and a Dr.h.c. from École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne. He is an Honorary Professor of the University of Patras and has been honoured by the French and Greek government for his contribution.

He is a member of the French Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Technologies of France and the Academy of Europe. Joseph Sifakis has been awarded with the titles of Grand Officer of the French National Order of Merit and commander in France’s Legion of Honour. In 2009 he has received the Hellenic Parliament Foundation for Parliamentarism and Democracy Award and also the Leonardo Da Vinci Medal in 2012.