Austrian Academy of Sciences

The ÖAW has elected 46 new members in its 2026 intake, recognizing outstanding scientific achievements across disciplines. Among them is Laura Ildikó Kovács, Professor of Computer Science at TU Wien and head of the FORSYTE research group. She is internationally recognized for her work in formal methods, automated reasoning, and the verification of software and AI systems.

Laura’s research has significantly advanced the state of the art in automated reasoning and program verification. She introduced the symbol elimination method for automatically generating and proving software requirements, including quantified loop invariants and interpolants. She has also contributed to integrating first-order theorem proving into program verification and is a key contributor to the development of the Vampire theorem prover. In symbolic computation, she developed methods for loop invariant generation based on polynomial algebra and combinatorics.

Her recent achievements include the ERC Proof of Concept Grant LEARN (Learning Efficient Automated Reasoning on the Net), the ERC Consolidator Grant ARTIST (Automated Reasoning with Theories and Induction for Software Technology), and the FWF Emerging Fields Programme Grant UnAxiMa (Uncovering the Axioms of Mathematics). Earlier in her career, she was awarded the ERC Starting Grant SYMCAR, the Wallenberg Academy Fellowship, and multiple Amazon Research Awards. Beyond her research contributions, she plays a prominent role in the international scientific community, serving as President of the ETAPS Steering Committee and as program co-chair of major conferences such as TACAS, iFM, and CICM.

With her election to the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Laura Kovács joins a distinguished group of researchers whose work shapes the future of science and technology.