About me

I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Automation of Logic group led by Christoph Weidenbach at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics. Currently, I am working in automated model building in first-order logic and in enumerating the models of quantified Boolean formulae (QBF). The focus in my PhD thesis Formalizing Methods for Propositional Model Counting and Enumeration (version with hyperlinks), which I did with Armin Biere at Johannes Kepler University Linz within the LIT Secure and Correct Systems Lab and the Institute for Formal Models and Verification, was on propositional model counting and enumeration, an exciting research area with a broad range of applications.

In my free time I enjoy hiking and climbing most. Rock and ice are my favorites, but any type of peak is worth climbing up to! And if no peak is available, I also might exchange height for distance. After living many years in the Swiss alps, I can hardly escape the fascination of lowlands or the relaxing effect of a broad river like the Danube in Linz.

However, I still prefer mountains and scraggy landscapes. The Caucasus is amongst the most impressive mountain ranges I have seen so far, and I love the Flüela region due to its colors and grippy rock. Situated near my home, it is still one of my favorite places for hiking and snowshoeing, and during my work at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF in Davos I explored this beautiful area during many lunch breaks. Finally, Haleakalā National Park is one of the most fascinating places I have visited. It is colorful and resembles a lunar landscape. However, a hike down into the crater to its end reveals a versatile landscape: sand, followed by lava debris and finally a very green area.

Recently, I added the third dimension to my hobbies: I started paragliding. The idea is to hike up and fly down; however, I plan to go for cross country flights and thermal flying as well. Once you carried the whole equipment on top of a mountain - why shouldn't you enjoy a flight the longest possible? The feeling when taking off is indescribable, and seeing the mountains from a different perspective adds to it.

You may wonder what I am doing if the weather is not favorable. Well, there are many interesting books waiting to be read, some related to my research and some just for leisure. And my piano is happy I resumed playing it. I for my part was happy to discover that playing the piano is like riding a bike - you don't unlearn it. Music is an important part of my life - from classics to symphonic metal.