Joseph Sifakis
Greek-French computer scientist who independently pioneered model checking
- Age
- 79 yrs
- Birthday in 50 days
- Works listed
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- Honours
- 2
- Most recent 2007
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Joseph Sifakis is a Greek-French computer scientist who independently developed model checking in France in the early 1980s. He founded the Verimag laboratory in Grenoble and shared the 2007 Turing Award with Edmund Clarke and Allen Emerson.
Biography
Education
Sifakis studied electrical engineering at the National Technical University of Athens and moved to Grenoble, France, where he earned his doctorate.
Model checking
With Jean-Pierre Queille in Grenoble, Sifakis built one of the first model-checking tools around 1982, independently of Clarke and Emerson in the US.
Verimag
In 1993 he founded Verimag, a leading laboratory for verifying embedded and safety-critical systems, working with companies in aerospace and transport. His later work on the BIP framework aims to build correct systems from components.
Honours
He received the Turing Award in 2007 and the CNRS silver medal. He has written about the risks and promise of autonomous systems and AI.
Timeline
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1946
Born in Heraklion, Crete, Greece
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1974
Arrives in Grenoble
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1982
Model checker with Queille
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1993
Founds Verimag
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2001
CNRS silver medal
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2007
Turing Award
Notable works
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1982
Specification and verification of concurrent systems in CESAR Paper
With Jean-Pierre Queille.
Awards and honours
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CNRS silver medal
2001
-
Turing Award
2007
Did you know?
-
1
He was the first Greek-born winner of the Turing Award.
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2
Verimag’s tools have been used for Airbus software.
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3
He holds both Greek and French citizenship.
Connections
Related people
Also born on 26 December
-
Baba Amte
Activism & Humanitarian · Social worker who cared for people affected by leprosy
1914
-
Martin Cooper
Technology · Motorola engineer who made the first handheld mobile phone call
1928
-
Charles Babbage
Science · Victorian mathematician who designed the first programmable mechanical computer
1791
Frequently asked
Who is Joseph Sifakis?
Joseph Sifakis is a Greek-French computer scientist who independently developed model checking in France in the early 1980s. He founded the Verimag laboratory in Grenoble and shared the 2007 Turing Award with Edmund Clarke and Allen Emerson.
How old is Joseph Sifakis?
Joseph Sifakis is 79 years old, born on 26 December 1946 in Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Where is Joseph Sifakis from?
Joseph Sifakis was born in Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
What is Joseph Sifakis known for?
Joseph Sifakis is best known for Model checking; Verimag laboratory; embedded systems; Turing Award 2007.
What awards has Joseph Sifakis received?
Notable honours include CNRS silver medal (2001), Turing Award (2007).
References
- Joseph Sifakis — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Joseph Sifakis — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Official website. www-verimag.imag.fr. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Joseph Sifakis (Q92781) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Joseph Sifakis”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Joseph Sifakis.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/joseph-sifakis
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