Hi! I am a Project Researcher in the Research Center for Mathematical Trust in Software and Systems, led by Prof. Ichiro Hasuo, at the National Institute for Informatics (NII) in Tokyo, Japan.
I received my PhD in Pure Mathematics from the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where I was advised by James Freitag. My thesis was titled "Model Theory and AI: Results in Query Learning of Automata and Weighted Model Counting".
You can reach me at kevinzhou [at] nii.ac.jp.
My CV is available here:
CV
My current research focus is in formal methods and automated verification. In particular, I'm interested in applying methods from pure mathematics to problems in formal methods. Formerly, I worked on connections between first-order model theory, finite combinatorics, computational learning theory, and AI.
In Spring 2022, I was a UIC NSF TRIPODS Graduate Fellow.
In Summer 2019, I was a UIC NSF RTG Pre-doctoral Fellow.
At UIC, I have been an Instructor for the following courses:
At UIC, I have been a TA for the following courses:
I won a Graduate Student Teaching Award for the academic year 2023-2024!
In Spring 2024, I was a mentor for the Directed Reading Program at UIC, a mentorship program that pairs undergraduate students with graduate student mentors working on a semester-long reading project.
In Fall 2022, I was a TA for the Preliminary Arizona Winter School on Heights and Model Theory.
Outside of teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level, I love teaching fun and interesting math topics to middle and high school students. Some opportunities I've had for this include:
During my time as an undergraduate at Carnegie Mellon University, I was a TA for:
I was a co-organizer for the 23rd Graduate Student Conference in Logic that took place on April 15-16, 2023 at UIC.
I've worked on a variety of research projects in the past unrelated to my current mathematical research. Code for some of these projects can be found on my GitHub.
Outside of mathematics, I enjoy making music, reading, watching anime, playing video games, and exercising (usually some combination of weightlifting, running, and volleyball).
I was a covenant member of Church of the Beloved from 2019 to 2024, where I also served on staff part-time as Production Manager from 2021 to 2024. From 2015 to 2018, I was a member of Pittsburgh Chinese Church.
I'm proficient in Mandarin Chinese and am learning Japanese (currently somewhere around N5~N4 level).