Pietro FERRARA

Full cv (pdf)

I have 15 years of experience in scientific research in the application of static analysis techniques to the software engineering process proven by about 50 scientific articles, 20 patents, 60 talks at various technical conferences, universities and fairs, supervision of a dozen of PhD, master and bachelor students, involvement in several research projects from the writing of the proposal to the development and conclusion of the project (full details in my long cv). I joined Ca’ Foscari University as a tenure-track assistant professor in November 2019.

Previously, from 2013 to 2019, I have been working in industry gaining experience in delivering prototypes and commercial tools to customers filling the gap between scientific research and development, and delivery of software products, as well as technical and commercial presentation to customers, evaluation activities, and preparation of commercial and technical documentation.
In particular, I was the Head of Research and Development at JuliaSoft SRL (a spin-off of University of Verona focused on the static analysis of Java, Android, and .NET programs) from February 2016 to November 2019 where I supervised the development of the scientific core of an industrial static analyzer and the dissemination of its scientific results. I was a Research Staff Member in the group of Mobile Enterprise Software led by Marco Pistoia from July 2013 to December 2015, and a lecturer at ETH of Zurich in the Programming methodology group under the supervision of Peter Mueller from April 2009 to July 2013. I obtained my PhD degree in Computer Science from the Ecole Polytechnique of Paris and the Universita’ Ca’ Foscari of Venice on May, 22nd 2009. My PhD thesis advisors were Radhia Cousot and Agostino Cortesi. I defended my PhD thesis on May 22nd, 2009 at the Ecole Normale Superiore. In addition, I was an intern at Microsoft Research in Redmond in the PLA group from August 20th 2007 to November 9th 2007 under the supervision of Francesco Logozzo.

Research interests

My research interests are focused on the application of rigorous mathematical theories to enhance the reliability, security, and performances of software by means of static analysis. Abstract interpretation is a framework applied to develop sound static analyses proving properties on all possible executions of a program. However, approximation is necessary to achieve computability, and the analysis might produce false alarms. Finding a good balance between precision, efficiency, and soundness depends on specific applications, and it usually requires deep research investigation. I am particularly interested in new scenarios where static analysis might have a relevant impact, and I have focused my recent research activity on mobile and .NET software.
Keywords: abstract interpretation, static analysis, mobile programs, software engineering, program verification, multithreading, security.

Professional experience
Nov. 2019 – Today: Assistant professor at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy
Feb. 2016 – Nov. 2019: Head of Research and Development at JuliaSoft SRL, Verona, Italy
Jul. 2013 – Dec. 2015: Research Staff Member at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, New York, U.S.A.
Apr. 2009 – Jul. 2013: Postdoc and lecturer at ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Education
Oct. 2005 – May 2009: PhD in Computer Science at Ecole Polytechnique of Paris, France and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy
Jul. 2003 – Feb. 2005: MA in Computer Science at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy
Sep. 2000 – Jul. 2003: BA in Computer Science at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy