Daniel Zilken
- daniel.zilken at cs.rwth-aachen.de
- Address
- Room 4210
Ahornstraße 55
D-52074 Aachen - Phone
- +49 241 80 21206
I am a PhD student in the Software Modeling and Verification Group headed by Professor Joost-Pieter Katoen.
Research
My research focuses on the verification of probabilistic programs via distributional invariants. More specifically:
- Viewing Probabilistic programs and Markov chains as distribution transformers
- Automatic derivation of invariants
- Certification in Markov chains and Markov decision processes
Thesis Projects
If you are interested in writing a Bachelor/Master’s thesis don’t hesitate and contact me. You can either bring up your own ideas, or we can discuss whether one of the following topics suits you:
- (B): Strategy Equivalences for MDPs and Nondeterministic Probabilistic Programs
- (B+M) Expressive Predicates for Sets of Distributions
- (M): Approximating the Output of a Probabilistic Program
- (M): Equivalences of Strategies with Memory for MDPs and Nondeterministic Probabilistic Programs
- (M): Distributional Certificates for Probabilistic Programs
- More topics (especially for Bachelors!) on request…
Ongoing Projects:
- (B): Felix Euting – Distribution Transformers for Probabilistic Programs: A Study of Inductive Definability
- (B): Luis Matzke – Strategy Equivalence between Nondeterministic Programs and MDPs
Past Projects:
- (B): Philip Strüwer – Semantic Equivalences of Probabilistic Programs and Their Underlying Markov Chains
- (M): Jonas Seidel – Sound and Complete Proof Rules for Almost-Sure Termination: From Probabilistic Control-Flow Graphs to Program-Level Reasoning
- (B): Samuel Akinlaja – Which Probabalistic Programs are Modelcheckable?
- (Intern): Ivo Melse – Implementing Certificates for Long-Run Average Rewards in MDPs
- (B): Elbeck Lazaridi – Implementing the Denotational Semantics of Probabilistic Programs
- (Intern): Diane Cauquil – Certificates for Long-Run Average Rewards in MDPs
Publications
You can also find me on dblp, ORCID, and Google Scholar
- FM 26
- TACAS 25
Awards
- FM26: Our paper Verifying Sampling Algorithms via Distributional Invariants (joint work with Joost-Pieter Katoen, Kevin Batz and Tobias Winkler) has received the Best Paper Award.
- Springorum Medal for receiving a master’s degree with distinction.
Teaching
Winter Semester 2026/27
Summer Semester 2026
Winter Semester 2025/26
Summer Semester 2025
Winter Semester 2024/25
2021-2024
- Maybe you still know me as a student Tutor/Mentor from one of the following courses 🙂
- Mentoring, DSAL, MaLo, FoSAP, Progra, SaVoS, TFUML, CT
More About Me
Publications
| 2026 | |
|---|---|
| DOI | Daniel Zilken, Kevin Batz, Joost-Pieter Katoen, Tobias Winkler. Verifying Sampling Algorithms via Distributional Invariants, Formal Methods : 27th International Symposium, FM 2026, Tokyo, Japan, May 18–22, 2026, Proceedings, Part I / edited by Augusto Sampaio, Marielle Stoelinga, 259-278, Springer Nature Switzerland, 2026. |