Programming Languages

We're delighted to announce that Professor Sophia Drossopoulou from the Department of Computing has been awarded the AITO Dahl-Nygaard Senior Prize at ECOOP 2023. The AITO Dahl-Nygaard Prize is an annual award that recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), It is names whose foundational work on object-oriented programming, made concrete in the Simula language, is one of the most important inventions in software engineering.

ECOOP 2023 is the 37th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming. It is one of the leading conferences in the field of object-oriented programming and related areas, and it is organized annually by the European Association for Programming Languages and Systems (EAPLS).

Sophia's research has made significant and diverse contributions to various aspects of Programming Languages. Her work has advanced the theoretical foundations of mainstream language paradigms and involved collaborations with industry partners to develop new language designs. Notably, her influential research started with the publication of the ECOOP paper titled "Java is Type Safe - Probably," co-authored with her longstanding collaborator Susan Eisenbach.

The paper was the first attempt to come to judgment about the type-safety of Java; it served as a guide for generations of young researchers learning to write type systems for object-oriented languages. She followed this up with additional inquiries into Java: binary compatibility, linking and loading, and later, a formalisation of wildcards.

Sophia's research has expanded to cover a range of topics, such as dynamic object reclassification, type inference for dynamic languages, ownership types, and capability systems. Additionally, Sophia has made significant contributions to the quality of numerous conferences by transforming one-sided presentations into productive discussions. For many members of our community, Sophia serves as a role model and mentor.

ECOOP 2023 is scheduled to take place in July 2023 in Seattle, and it will feature keynote speakers, technical paper presentations, workshops, and tutorials. The conference will provide an opportunity for attendees to learn about the latest research and developments in the field, as well as to network with other professionals in the industry.

The Dahl-Nygaard Prizes for 2023 will be given during ECOOP 2023 held in Seattle, USA, July 17-21 2023.