Further Recognition for RWTH Computer Scientists
Professors Joost-Pieter Katoen and Wil van der Aalst Named Fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
The prestigious Association for Computing Machinery, ACM for short, has named two RWTH researchers as ACM Fellows. Professor Wil van der Aalst, Chair of Process Mining and Data Science, was honored for his outstanding contributions to process mining, process management and data science. Professor Joost-Pieter Katoen, Chair for Software Modeling and Verification, was selected as a Fellow for his significant achievements in model checking of software and probabilistic systems.
ACM is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field’s challenges. The ACM Fellows Program was established in 1993 to honor leading researchers for their achievements in computer science and information technology and for their fundamental contributions to the mission of the ACM. Their accomplishments have driven innovations that ushered in significant improvements across many areas of technology, industry, and personal life. Only 1 percent of ACM members receive this honor. RWTH boasts four ACM Fellows, more than any other university in Germany. In Germany, there are currently 16 ACM Fellows.
Joost-Pieter Katoen
Chair of Computer Science 2 – Software Modeling and Verification
Joost-Pieter Katoen studied computer science at the University of Twente, the Netherlands. After stints at the Philips Research Lab and at the universities of Eindhoven, Twente, and Erlangen-Nürnberg, he was appointed full professor of computer science at RWTH Aachen University in 2004. He also actively contributes to the Formal Methods and Tools Group at the University of Twente.
His research contributions range from achievements in computer theory and algorithm development to software development for business and industry, especially in the field of aerospace engineering. He develops models to test complex systems before they are actually built and programmed. His work makes it possible to predict a system's responses to specific scenarios – an approach that helps to design robust software and hardware highly complex applications.
In 2017, Katoen received an honorary doctorate from Aalborg University, Denmark, for his scientific contributions to computer science, in particular in the fields of software modeling and computer-aided verification. In 2018, he received an ERC Advanced Grant, one of the most prestigious research awards in Europe. He is a member of Academia Europea, a Theodore von Kármán Fellow, and a Distinguished Professor at RWTH Aachen University.
Wil van der Aalst
Chair of Computer Science 9 – Process and Data Science
Van der Aalst is a leading expert in the fields of process mining, business process management, workflow management systems, and data science. The researcher, who is one of the most cited computer scientists in the world, developed the first process mining techniques, such as process discovery, conformance checking, and predictive algorithms. Numerous commercially marketed process mining tools are based on his research from the last two decades.
Until December 2017, van der Aalst was Scientific Director of the Data Science Center Eindhoven and Head of the Architecture of Information Systems Group at Eindhoven University of Technology. In 2018, he was appointed Humboldt Professor at RWTH Aachen University. He has received honorary doctorates from Moscow School of Economics, Tsinghua University, and Hasselt University. He is a member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities, Academia Europea, and the Board of Governors of Tilburg University. In 2020, he was elected a Fellow of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).