From philosophy and logic to formal methods

What can formal logic tell us about intelligent systems, strategic decisions, and the way agents reason about each other? For Paul Fink, these questions connect philosophy, logic, and computer science – and now bring him back to the Ruhr area.

Paul has recently joined the Verification and Formal Guarantees of Machine Learning group headed by Prof. Daniel Neider as a PhD student at the Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security (RC Trust).

He studied Philosophy in Marburg and Logic in Amsterdam. Originally from the Ruhr area, Paul is now returning to continue his research close to home.

His academic interests cover a broad range of formal methods and frameworks. He has been particularly interested in multi-agent systems, especially from the perspectives of Algorithmic Game Theory and Epistemic Logic. At RC Trust, he will be working on a DFG-project on learning Temporal formulas with a focus on a specific approach called Sketching.

This makes his research a strong fit for Daniel Neider’s group, where formal methods are used to better understand, analyse, and reason about complex systems. Paul brings a theoretical perspective on logic and formal frameworks – and is eager to develop this further in a research environment focused on verification and formal guarantees.

Outside academia, Paul enjoys climbing, bouldering, and hiking during longer holidays. In summer, he likes playing beach volleyball or spending time with friends in parks.

Welcome to RC Trust, Paul!