Research Interests: Natural Language Interfaces, Knowledge Representation and Databases.
Teaching Interests: Databases, AI, Logic, LLMs, Algorithms, Thesis Supervision.
Research Interests
I have long worked at the boundary between AI and relational databases, in particular within cooperative query answering, explanation, information integration and natural language interfaces. I recently gave a course on LLMs applied to data management (see here). I concluded a VR project (2015-04953) investigating semantic tractability and deduction in natural language interfaces to databases (2016-2019). I also coordinated the EU project spacebook that involved both spatial databases and speech-based interfaces (2011-2014).
Relational databases have always impressed me because they have proven their usefulness in the real world and, at the same time, are rooted in logic. And if one takes full database query languages (e.g. those performing counts and other aggregation operations), then it is not merely first-order logic, but higher-order logic. My current research focusses on using logical properties of query languages to facilitate the construction and learning of natural language interfaces to databases. I am also interested in how LLMs can contribute to these topics.
Most of my publications may be downloaded. Just click on them under "Publications" and then go to "Open Access in DiVA" in the upper right corner and you should be able to download a pdf.
Contact
Contact via email is always the best way.