Illinois Computer Science professor Talia Ringer received a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award beginning September 30, 2023.
Ringer’s Proofs by Relation Integration and Compiler Elegance to Learn Even Semantic Subtleties (PRICELESS) project will use insights from programming languages to build machine learning (ML) tools that can discover and apply semantic relations between datatypes, improving the performance of automation that makes it easier to prove programs correct. It will drive better automation for formal proof, making it easier to prove the absence of certain vulnerabilities in security-critical systems and fundamental developments in ML, improving the abilities of ML systems to generalize to unforeseen circumstances.
The Young Faculty Award (YFA) program provides funding, mentoring, and industry and Department of Defense (DOD) contacts to rising stars in junior research positions so they may develop their ideas in the context of national security needs. The long-term goal of the YFA program is to develop the next generation of academic scientists, engineers, and mathematicians who will focus a significant portion of their careers on DoD and National Security issues.
YFA grants are for 24 months. Each YFA awardee has a Project Manager Mentor with closely aligned research interests. Ringer’s mentor is William Martin of the DARPA Information Innovation Office (I2O).