Oxford Max Planck Summit

Oxford Max Planck Summit

A two-day networking and scientific-exchange meeting for researchers across Oxford University and select Max Planck Institutes.

Venue: Computer Science Department, Oxford University, Wolfson Building, Park Road, Oxford OX1 3QD, United Kingdom Date: 7 - 8 October 2026
About Participants Schedule Practical Information Organizers
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About

The Oxford Max Planck Doctoral Programme (OMP) is a durable framework for collaborative research initiatives between the University of Oxford and the Max Planck Gesellschaft.

The Oxford Max Planck Summit brings together faculty from the Computer Science Department of Oxford University and Max Planck Institutes for Software Systems, Informatics, Security and Privacy for two days of networking and focused scientific exchange.

The summit revolves around short research talks, open discussions, and free-flowing interaction between participants to identify shared interests across groups. It offers a compact setting for presenting work in progress, learning about adjacent research directions, and building new collaborations across the Oxford-MPG network — including identifying topics for joint PhD supervision.

Participants

Max Planck Gesellschaft

16 participants
  • Anne-Kathrin Schmuck Faculty, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems Control Software Systems Group
  • Anthony Lin Max-Planck Fellow, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau Automated Reasoning
  • Christoph Weidenbach Faculty, Max Planck Institute for Informatics Automation of Logic
  • Derek Dreyer Scientific Director, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems Foundations of Programming Group
  • Dionysios Adamopoulos PhD Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems Sustainable, Programmable and Intelligent Computing Systems Group
  • Georg Zetzsche Faculty, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems Models of Computation Group
  • Gilles Barthe Scientific Director, Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy Differential Privacy, Cryptography and Computer Security
  • Joël Ouaknine Scientific Director, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems Foundations of Algorithmic Verification
  • Manuel Gomez Rodriguez Faculty, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems AI, Computing and Society
  • Meeyoung Cha Scientific Director, Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy Data Science for Humanity
  • Omer Moussa PhD Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems Bridging AI and Neuroscience (BrAIN)
  • Richard Petri Research Engineer, Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy Cryptographic Engineering
  • Rupak Majumdar Scientific Director, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems Programming Languages & Verification
  • Sadegh Soudjani Research Group Leader, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems Cyber-Physical Systems
  • Tomasz Kociumaka Research Group Leader, Max Planck Institute for Informatics Algorithms and Complexity
  • Yiting Xia Faculty, Max Planck Institute for Informatics Networks and Cloud Systems

Oxford University

32 participants
  • Andrew Markham Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Sensors, Signal Processing, Machine Learning and Cyber-Physical Systems
  • Alessandro Abate Professor of Verification and Control - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Oxford Control and Verification Group
  • Andrzej Murawski Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Programming Languages and Automated Verification
  • Bartek Klin Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Nominal Techniques and Foundations of Programming Languages
  • Christian Rupprecht Associate Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Visual Geometry Group
  • Christoph Haase Associate Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Automated Verification Group
  • Christopher Pulte Associate Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Programming Language Semantics, Type Systems, Concurrency, and Verification
  • David Parker Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Formal and Quantitative Verification
  • Graham Cormode Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Data Privacy, Data Stream Analysis and General Algorithmic Problems
  • Hamed Haddadi Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Human-Centered Systems
  • Ivan Martinovic Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Cyber-physical System Security and Network Security
  • James Worrell Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Logic in Computer Science, Automated Verification, Linear Dynamical Systems
  • Jeremy Gibbons Professor of Computing - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Algebra of Programming Research Group
  • Jonathan Barrett Professor of Quantum Information Science - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Quantum Group
  • Leslie Ann Goldberg Professor, Head of Department of Computer Science - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Design and Analysis of Randomised Algorithms
  • Mahmoud Abo Khamis Associate Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Database Systems and Theory
  • Maria Bruna Associate Professor - Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford Mathematical Modeling of Interacting Particle Systems
  • Markus Brill Associate Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Computational Social Choice
  • Marta Kwiatkowska Professor of Computing Systems - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Automated Verification
  • Max van Kleek Associate Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Human-Computer Interaction
  • Michael Benedikt Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Director - MSC in Advanced Computer Science, University of Oxford Foundations of AI, Computational and Mathematical Logic, Data management
  • Niki Trigoni Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Cyber Physical Systems Group
  • Noa Zilberman Professor of Engineering Science - Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford Computer Infrastructure Group
  • Paul Goldberg Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Director of MSc in Mathematics and Foundations of Computer Science, University of Oxford Economics and Computation
  • Philip Torr Professor of Engineering Science - Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford Torr Vision Group - AI Safety, AI for Science
  • Sam Staton Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Programming Language Theory; Logic and Category Theory
  • Sandra Kiefer Associate Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Graph theory, descriptive complexity theory, graph machine learning, and verification
  • Standa Zivny Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Algorithms, Computational Complexity, Discrete Optimisation and Homomorphism Problems
  • Stefan Kiefer Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Verification, Probabilistic Models, Infinite-State Systems, Program Analysis and Automata Theory
  • Thomas Pasquier Associate Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Computer Security and Data Privacy
  • Varun Kanade Associate Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Machine Learning Theory, Algorithmic Statistics and Randomised Algorithms
  • Vincent Cheval Associate Professor - Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford Formal Analysis and Design of Cryptographic Protocols

Guests

6 participants
  • Piotr Bacik OMP Doctoral Researcher Foundations of Algorithmic Verification
  • Ceren Kocaoğullar Applied Scientist, Amazon Web Services Automated Reasoning Group
  • Stefan Zetzsche Applied Scientist, Amazon Web Services Automated Reasoning Group
  • Rod Chapman Senior Principal Scientist, Amazon Web Services Automated Reasoning Group
  • Jon Chapman Head of Department - Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
  • Sarah McHugh Head of Education Policy and Planning - Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division, University of Oxford University of Oxford
  • Misha Sra Associate Professor - Computer Science, UC Santa Barbara Human-AI Experience (HAX) Lab

Schedule

Wednesday 07 October 2026

Day 1

09:15 - 09:20 Opening remarks Lecture Theatre B
09:20 - 10:20 Talk Session 1 5 speakers
Niki Trigoni (10 min)Cyber Physical Systems Group
Christopher Pulte (10 min)Programming Language Semantics, Type Systems, Concurrency, and Verification
Jeremy Gibbons (10 min)Algebra of Programming Research Group
Derek Dreyer (10 min)Foundations of Programming Group
Christoph Haase (10 min)Automated Verification
10:20 - 10:30 Q&A / Discussion Q&A session with the speakers.
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee break Oxford Computer Science Department Atrium
11:00 - 12:00 Talk Session 2 3 speakers
Stefan Kiefer (15 min)Verification, Probabilistic Models, Infinite-State Systems, Program Analysis and Automata Theory
Christian Rupprecht (15 min)Visual Geometry Group
Philip Torr (5 min)Torr Vision Group - AI Safety, AI for Science
12:00 - 13:30 Lunch break Oxford Computer Science Department Atrium - hosted lunch for all participants.
13:30 - 14:55 Talk Session 3 5 speakers
Noa Zilberman (10 min)Computer Infrastructure Group
Thomas Pasquier (5 min)Computer Security and Data Privacy
Gilles Barthe (15 min)Differential Privacy, Cryptography and Computer Security
Andrew Markham (10 min)Sensors, Signal Processing, Machine Learning and Cyber-Physical Systems
Yiting Xia (15 min)Networks and Cloud Systems
Wednesday 07 October 2026 - continued
14:55 - 15:05 Q&A / Discussion Q&A session with the speakers.
15:05 - 16:00 Talk Session 4 5 speakers
David Parker (5 min)Formal and Quantitative Verification
Georg Zetzsche (10 min)Models of Computation Group
Anne-Kathrin Schmuck (5 min)Control Software Systems Group
Vincent Cheval (5 min)Formal Analysis and Design of Cryptographic Protocols
Rupak Majumdar (10 min)Programming Languages and Verification
16:00 - 16:10 Q&A / Discussion Q&A session with the speakers.
16:10 - 16:20 Coffee break Oxford Computer Science Department Atrium
16:20 - 18:10 Talk Session 5 8 speakers
Tomasz Kociumaka (10 min)Algorithms and Complexity
Sandra Kiefer (10 min)Graph theory, descriptive complexity theory, graph machine learning, and verification
Paul Goldberg (10 min)Economics and Computation
Standa Zivny (10 min)Algorithms, Computational Complexity, Discrete Optimisation and Homomorphism Problems
Hamed Haddadi (5 min)Human-Centered Systems
Meeyoung Cha (15 min)Data Science for Humanity
Max van Kleek (10 min)Human-Computer Interaction
Manuel Gomez Rodriguez (10 min)AI, Computing and Society
18:10 - 18:20 Q&A / Discussion Q&A session with the speakers.
18:30 for 19:00 Oxford Max Planck Dinner Venue: St John's College, Senior Common Room After-dinner speech by:
  • Piotr Bacik, OMP Doctoral Researcher
  • Rod Chapman, Amazon Web Services
  • Ceren Kocaoğullar, Amazon Web Services
  • Stefan Zetzsche, Amazon Web Services

Thursday 08 October 2026

Day 2

09:00 - 11:00 Talk Session 6 11 speakers
Christoph Weidenbach (15 min)Automation of Logic
Omer Moussa (15 min)Bridging AI and Neuroscience
Richard Petri (10 min)Cryptographic Engineering
Dionysios Adamopoulos (10 min)Sustainable, Programmable and Intelligent Computing Systems Group
Jonathan Barrett (10 min)Quantum Group
Sadegh Soudjani (15 min)Cyber-Physical Systems
Ivan Martinovic (5 min)Cyber-physical System Security and Network Security
Andrzej Murawski (10 min)Programming Languages and Automated Verification
Sam Staton (10 min)Programming Language Theory; Logic and Category Theory
Mahmoud Abo Khamis (10 min)Database Systems and Theory
Graham Cormode (10 min)Data Privacy, Data Stream Analysis and General Algorithmic Problems
11:00 - 11:20 Q&A / Discussion Q&A session with the speakers.
11:20 - 11:30 Coffee break Oxford Computer Science Department Atrium
11:30 - 11:35 Wrap-up note

Practical Information

We suggest participants arrive in Oxford on the evening of Tuesday 6 October 2026, and depart on the afternoon of Thursday 8 October 2026.

All talk sessions will take place in Lecture Theatre B of the Computer Science Department. Coffee breaks and lunch will be provided in the Atrium. The Oxford Max Planck Dinner will be held at St John's College.

We suggest that participants book travel and hotel accommodations as early as possible, as Oxford is a popular destination and hotels can fill up quickly. We recommend hotels within a walking distance from the venue such as Mercure Oxford Eastgate Hotel, Linton Lodge Oxford, St Margaret's Hotel, Cotswold Lodge Hotel, and The Buttery Hotel. Hotels located a bit farther away from the venue are also fine, as Oxford has a good public transportation system and is a walkable city.

To reach Oxford, the fastest travel option is to fly to London Heathrow Airport (LHR), and then take a direct coach to Oxford. There are also direct coaches from Gatwick Airport and from Stansted Airport. Alternatively, if you take the Eurostar into London, travel by underground (tube/metro) to Paddington, from which you can board a direct train to Oxford.

Organizers

Joel_Ouaknine
Prof. Joël Ouaknine Scientific Director, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems
James_Worrell
Prof. James Worrell Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford