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Thomas Bolander

Department of Informatics and Mathematical Modelling (IMM), Technical University of Denmark (DTU).
Building 322 - Room 130  - Telephone (+45) 45 25 37 15 - Email: tb@imm.dtu.dk.
My addresses.

Keywords: logic (mathematical, computational, philosophical), modal logics, graph theory, self-reference, introspection, self-reflection, artificial intelligence, paradoxes, fixed points, autonomous agents, knowledge based systems.

Publications

1. Thomas Bolander, Torben Braüner (eds). Proceedings of the 6th workshop on Methods for Modalities (M4M-6). To appear in Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science. Preliminary proceedings published as Computer Science Research Report #128, Roskilde University, Denmark, 2009.
2. Torben Braüner, Thomas Bolander (eds). Hybrid Logic: Dedicated to the Memory of Volker Weber. Special issue of Journal of Logic, Language and Information, vol. 18(4). Springer Verlag, 2009.
3. Thomas Bolander, Rene Rydhof Hansen. Hybrid Logical Analyses of the Ambient Calculus. To appear in Information and Computation, 2009.
4. Thomas Bolander, Jørgen Fischer Nilsson, Jørgen Villadsen. Logik, Computere og Kunstig Intelligens [published pdf]. Chapter in Matematiske Horisonter, DTU Informatics, 2009, pp. 218--233.
5. Thomas Bolander. Self-Reference. Entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, CSLI, 2008.
6. Jens Ulrik Hansen, Thomas Bolander, Torben Braüner. Many-Valued Hybrid Logic. Proceedings of Advances in Modal Logic 2008, pages 111-132. College Publications, 2008.
7. Thomas Bolander, Patrick Blackburn. Terminating Tableau Calculi for Hybrid Logics extending K [preprint pdf]. Proceeding of Methods for Modalities 5 (M4M-5), 2007. Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, vol. 231, 2009, pp. 21--39.
8. Jørgen Villadsen, Thomas Bolander, Torben Braüner (eds). Proceedings of the International Workshop on Hybrid Logic (HyLo 2007). ESSLLI 2007.
9. Thomas Bolander, Rene Rydhof Hansen. Hybrid Logical Analyses of the Ambient Calculus. Lecture Notes in Computer Science 4576: 83--100. Proceedings of WoLLIC'07 (Workshop on Logic, Language, Information and Computation).
10. Thomas Bolander, Patrick Blackburn. Termination for Hybrid Tableaus [prepint pdf | link to published pdf]. Journal of Logic and Computation 17(3): 517--554.
11. Patrick Blackburn, Thomas Bolander, Torben Braüner, Valeria de Paiva and Jørgen Villadsen (eds). Proceedings of the International Workshop on Hybrid Logic (HyLo 2006). Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer science, vol. 143, 2007.
12. Thomas Bolander, Jens Ulrik Hansen, Michael Reichhardt Hansen. Decidability of a Hybrid Duration Calculus [link to published pdf]. Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science 174(2007): 113--133. Proceedings of Hylo'06 (Hybrid Logics 2006).
13. Thomas Bolander, Torben Braüner. Tableau-Based Decision Procedures for Hybrid Logic [preprint pdf | access to published pdf]. Journal of Logic and Computation, December 2006; 16: 737--763.
14. Thomas Bolander, Torben Braüner. Two Tableau-Based Decision Procedures for Hybrid Logic [ps | pdf]. Proceedings of M4M (Methods For Modalities) 4, pages 79-96. Humboldt University, 2005.
15. Thomas Bolander, Vincent F. Hendricks, Stig Andur Pedersen (eds). Self-Reference. With contributions by Andrea Cantini, Melvin Fitting, Anil Gupta, Vann McGee, Donald Perlis, Graham Priest, Raymond Smullyan and Stephen Yablo. CSLI Publications, 2006. Read the introduction to the book. ISBN 1575865157 (hardback); ISBN 1575865165 (paperback). Can be bought eg. at amazon.com or in Denmark at saxo.dk.
16. Thomas Bolander. Introduction to Self-Reference. Introduction chapter, pages 1-25, in Self-Reference.
17. Thomas Bolander, Paul Fischer. Chapter 7 of the ESGI 04 (European Study Group with Industry) report on the LEGO Digital Designer problem [pdf]. Technical Report. 2004.
18. Thomas Bolander. Logical Theories for Agent Introspection [pdf]. Ph.D. thesis, Informatics and Mathematical Modelling (IMM), Technical University of Denmark, 2003.
19. Thomas Bolander. Which Patterns of Semantic Dependency are Paradoxical?, II. 22 pages. Submitted for publication.
20. Thomas Bolander. Which Patterns of Semantic Dependency are Paradoxical?, I. 20 pages. Submitted for publication.
21. Thomas Bolander. From Logic Programming Semantics to the Consistency of Syntactical Treatments of Knowledge and Belief [pdf]. In Proceedings of IJCAI 2003 (Eighteenth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence), pages 443-448. Morgan Kaufmann, Elsevier Science. © 2003 IJCAII.
22. Thomas Bolander. Maximal Introspection of Agents [pdf]. Electronic Lecture Notes in Theoretical Computer Science 70:5, 2002. Elsevier Science. 16 pages. (Presented at CLIMA 2002).
23. Thomas Bolander. Restricted Truth Predicates in First-Order Logic [pdf]. In The Logica Yearbook 2002, pages 41-55. Filosofia, Prague, 2002. (Presented at LOGICA 2002).
24. Thomas Bolander. Self-Reference and Logic [ps | pdf]. Phi News 1, 9-44, 2002. PhiLog, Kluwer Academic Publishers.
25. Thomas Bolander and Helge Elbrønd Jensen. On Gödel's Theorem (in Danish) [pdf]. NORMAT 50:1, 15-29, 2002.
26. Thomas Bolander. Limitations in Formal Systems and Languages (in Danish) [ps]. MAT Master Thesis No. 1999-04. Department of Mathematics, Technical University of Denmark. English abstract.

Work in progress

• Tableau calculi for hybrid interval logics. With Patrick Blackburn.
• Analysing the ambient calculus using hybrid logic. With Rene R. Hansen.
• Graph theoretical conditions for paradoxicality.

Externally funded research projects

• Hybrid Logic, Computation, and Reasoning Methods (HYLOCORE). Funded by the Danish Natural Science Research Council (FNU), 2009-2011.
• Hybrid Logic Meets Other Logics (HyLoMOL). Funded by the Danish Natural Science Research Council (FNU), 2005-2008.

Course teaching (current and previous)

• 02343 CDIO project (spring 2010).
• 02285 Artificial Intelligence and Multi-Agent Systems (spring 2010, spring 2009).
• 01017 Discrete Mathematics and Databases (autumn 2009, autumn 2008, autumn 2007, autumn 2006, autumn 2005, autumn 2004).
• Matematik: Videnskaben om det uendelige at Folkeuniversitetet i København (autumn 2009).
• 02102 Introductory Programming (spring 2009).
• 01917 Discrete Mathematics and Databases (spring 2009, spring 2008, spring 2007, autumn 2006, spring 2006, atumun 2005).
• 02101 Introductory Programming (autumn 2008).
• 02105 Algorithms and Datastructures I (spring 2008, spring 2007, spring 2006, spring 2005, autumn 2003).
• Basic AI in computer games (spring 2008). Specialisation course (specialkursus).
• Natural science communication (spring 2008). Specialisation course (specialkursus).
• AI problem-solving (summer 2007). Specialisation course (specialkursus).
• Multi-Agent Robotic Systems (spring 2007). Specialisation course (specialkursus).
• Advanced Agent Programming (spring 2007). Specialisation course (specialkursus).
• A web application for appointment scheduling (autumn 2006). Specialisation course (specialkursus) in collaboration with Arcanic A/S.
• Intelligent path finding in 3D games (autumn 2006). Specialisation course (specialkursus).
• AI Methods in Real-Time Strategy Games (autumn 2006). Specialisation course (specialkursus).
• Introduction to Multi-Agent Systems (autumn 2006, summer 2006). Specialisation course (specialkursus).
• Using hypergraphs for iterative determination of rigidity in truss structures. (summer 2006). Specialisation course (specialkursus).
• Using planning in automated test (spring 2006). Specialisation course (specialkursus) in collaboration with Microsoft Business Solutions.
• AI in game programming (autumn 2005). Specialisation course (specialkursus).
• 02107 Analysis Model Program (Computational Geometry) (summer 2005).
• 02240 Computability and Semantics (spring 2004).
• 02110 Algorithms and Data Structures II (spring 2003).
• 49256 Compiler Techniques (spring 2001).
• 49409 Automata, Formal Languages and Computability (spring 2000).

Project supervision

Students interested in supervision of bachelor, master's and Ph.D. projects can contact me by e-mail (tb@imm.dtu.dk). Below I present current and previous projects as well as new project proposals.

Current and previous projects:

• Artificial intelligence for the board game Taiji. Master's project 2009.
• Robotic transportation. Master's project 2009.
• Vehicle Routing Problem for Mobile Hospital Robots. Bachelor project spring 2009.
• Multi-Agent Systems in AgentSpeak. Bachelor project autumn 2008.
• Simulation of evacuation scenarios using rational agents. Master's project spring 2008.
• AI planning in computer game engines. Bachelor project spring 2008.
• Translations between database query languages. Bachelor project spring 2008. Master's project autumn 2007.
• Multi-Agent Robotics using LEGO NXT robots. Bachelor projects spring 2008, spring 2007.
• Enhanced search for rigidity in virtual LEGO models. Bachelor projects spring 2008, autumn 2007.
• Translation from relational calculus to .NET expression trees. Master's project autumn 2007.
• AI planning methods for business software. Master's project autumn 2007. In collaboration with Microsoft Business Solutions.
• A multi-agent approach to solving NP-complete problems. Master's project autumn 2007.
• Artificial intelligence in the predator/prey domain. Master's project 2007.
• Automated Planning in Computer Games. Bachelor project autumn 2007.
• Evolutionary Multi-Agent Systems in Computer Games. Master's project 2007.
• Reasoning About Knowledge in Planning. Bachelor project spring 2007. The project won the McKinsey price as best bachelor project of the year at DTU.
• Artificial Intelligence in Computer Game Engines. Bachelor project spring 2007.
• Artificial Intelligence in Board Games. Bachelor project spring 2007.
• Multi-agent robotics. Bachelor project (midtvejsprojekt) autumn 2006. Read the article from the Danish magazine Ingeniøren about the project.
• Hybrid logic. Master's project autumn 2006.
• Fundamental AI in computer game engines. Bachelor project (midtvejsprojekt) autumn 2005.
• Rigidity investigations in virtual LEGO models. Bachelor projects (midtvejsprojekter) spring 2005 and spring 2006. Master's project spring 2006. The projects are carried out in collaboration with the LEGO company. The projects concern modelling the motions of virtual LEGO models in the LEGO Digital Designer.
• AI in computer games. Master's project 2005. The project is carried out in collaboration with the computer game company Io Interactive. The project concerns implementing non-trivial AI in the non-player characters of computer games like Hitman. The students have been giving an interview concerning the project in the magazine Computerworld (in danish).

• Motions in LEGO models. Projects at all levels. There are many interesting problems in connection with motions of virtual models in the LEGO Digital Designer that still need to be solved. See the short introduction. Keywords: Graph theory (mathematics), graph algorithms (algorithms and data structures), kinematics, programming.
• AI in board games. Bachelor project (midtvejsprojekt) or master's project. I have invented a small two-persons board game called Kulibrat which is played with 2 times 4 pieces on a board of 4 times 3 squares. The project concerns making AI players for this game -- letting them play against each other and learn from their experiences. The project could involve AI subjects such as planning, genetic algorithms, learning.
• Hybrid logic. Hybrid logic is one of my research areas, and there are always are number of problems (theoretical and applied) within this area that would be suitable for student projects. Some knowledge of logic and some mathematical maturity is required for these projects.
• Translations between database query languages. In the course 01017/01917 Discrete Mathematics and Databases three query languages are learned: relational algebra, relational calculus, and SQL. It would be very nice to have a compiler that could translate queries in relational algebra and/or relational calculus into SQL, so that such queries could be computed in MySQL or another SQL database management system. Such a project involves many of the fundamental subjects in computer science: database systems, compiler techniques, programming language semantics, logic.

Conference activities

Chairing:

• Co-chair of the 6th Methods for Modalities (M4M) workshop, 2009.
• Co-chair of the Hybrid Logic 2007 (HyLo 2007) workshop. Part of ESSLLI 2007.
• Program chair of Conference on Self-reference, October 31 to November 2, 2002, Copenhagen. Host: "PhiLog - The Danish Network for Philosophical Logic and its Applications". Information pertaining to the conference can be found at the home page of PhiLog (click "events").

• Co-organizer of the 6th Methods for Modalities (M4M) workshop, 2009.
• Co-organizer of the Hybrid Logic 2006 (HyLo 2006) workshop affiliated with Logic In Computer Science (LICS 2006) and part of the Federated Logic Conference (FLoC 2006).
• Co-organizer of Conference on Self-reference, Copenhagen, 2002. See above under charing.

• Methods for Modalities (M4M) 2009.
• Hybrid Logic (HyLo) 2009.
• IADIS International Conference on Intelligent Systems and Agents 2008.
• Hybrid Logic (HyLo) 2007.
• IADIS International Conference on Intelligent Systems and Agents 2007.
• Hybrid Logic (HyLo) 2006 workshop affiliated with Logic In Computer Science (LICS 2006) and part of the Federated Logic Conference (FLoC 2006).
• Scandinavian Conference on Artificial Intelligence 2006.

Other activities

Current:

• Logic seminar group at Roskilde University.

• Organizer of an IT Education Day (in Danish) for prospective students, November 12, 2008.
• Co-organizer of meeting Effektiv undervisning, May 18, 2006.
• Organizing company visits for DTU's computer science students ( Io Interactive autumn 2005, LEGO spring 2005, Metropol Online 2004, Force Technology 2003).
• Co-organizer of meeting Programmering i ingeniøruddannelserne - hvornår, hvad, hvordan? (November 2004).
• Short course on Self-Reference to members of "Matematiklærerforeningen for gymnasiet og HF" (Nyborg, October 22-24, 2003).
• Autumn semester 2002: Visiting research student at the Arche Research Centre and the School of Computer Science, University of St. Andrews, Scotland.
• Spring semester 2002: Visiting research student with Professor Stig Andur Pedersen, Roskilde University.

Slides from selected talks

• Epistemisk logik og kunstig intelligens [pdf]. Guest lecture in the course Research in Cognitive Science II at Copenhagen University, autumn 2009.
• Matematikkens paradokser og patologiske konstruktioner i 1800-tallet [pdf]. Lecture at Folkeuniversitetet i København, autumn 2009.
• Artificial Intelligence -- Dead or Alive? (in Danish) [pdf]. Invited talk at a seminar on Intelligence organized by Biotech Students' Association, 2007.
• Motions in LEGO Digital Designer (in Danish) [html] (works only correctly with Internet Explorer). Short informal talk given to prospective DTU students, spring 2005.
  
• Self-reference in the logical limitation results (in Danish) [ps | pdf]. Introductory talk given at the Brorfelde Observatory, autumn 2004.
• Logical Theories for Agent Introspection [pdf]. Slides from the defence of my Ph.D. thesis  (November 24, 2003).
• A Primer to Contemporary Self-Reference [pdf]. A 3 hours introduction to Self-Reference given at the introductory seminar of the conference on Self-Reference (October 30, 2002).
• Maximal Introspection of Agents [ps | pdf]. Presentation given at CLIMA 2002. (August 1, 2002).
• Reasoning about Introspective Agents [ps | pdf]. A short informal introduction to some of the problems of my Ph.D project and some of my results. (May 15, 2002).
• Guest lecture on Self-Reference, Computer Science, and Logic [ps | pdf]. (May 13, 2002).

Appointments

• Director of studies (studieleder) at Folkeuniversitetet i København, study line: The world in a scientific perspective (Verden i naturvidenskabeligt perspektiv).
• Reviews editor of the Springer journal Studia Logica (with Klaus Frovin Jørgensen, Roskilde University).
• Member of the board of Selskabet for Tekniske Uddannelsesspørgsmål.
• Member of the IT-Diploma Coordination Group at CSE, IMM, DTU.
• Member of the expert committee, Scientariet, of the Danish professional journal Ingeniøren.

Awards

• Teacher of the year at DTU Informatics, 2008.
• Teacher of the year at DTU, 2006.

Interviews

• An interview in which I present some of my research in a very non-technical language (in Danish).
• M.Sc. teacher of the year at DTU, 2006. Article in DTU-avisen (in Danish), April, 2006.
• An interview in Ingeniøren (in Danish), May, 2006.
• A webcast made by Ingeniøren about the iMARS lab (in Danish), January, 2007.

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