Semantics column

Abstract

I am pleased to introduce J ane H illston as this quarter's SIGLOG Semantics columnist. Jane's research focuses on performance modeling of computer and communications systems using Markovian stochastic process algebra. This area combines the computational approach of process calculi with stochastic methods from probability in the form of Markov processes. Jane began exploring this area in her PhD thesis, when she introduced the stochastic process algebra PEPA. Since then, Jane has been a leader in applying stochastic process algebra to performance modeling. She has devised adaptions of PEPA to address specific applications, such as mobile computation (PEPA nets), systems biology (Bio-PEPA), and hybrid systems (HYPE). She has applied these tools to analyze the collective dynamics of discrete systems, to model biochemical signaling pathways, to model temporal aspects of biological phenomena more generally, to assess the quality of services offered in large distributed systems, to evaluate protocols for mobility and quality of service in a wireless setting, and to help develop formal methods for use in a broad study of collective adaptive systems. Jane's column describes the history and development of various approaches to stochastic process algebras, and highlights some of the contributions of performance analysis to our understanding of these various complex systems.