VLDB 2026 Research / reviewers in the wild / expert
Alnis Murtovi
dblp:225/6977
· DBLP profile ↗
10ranked-venue papers
4as first author
7since 2021 · last 2025
—ORCID · none
Domains — the database's venue-derived domains; a paper can count in several
Software engineering, systems software and programming languages · 9 · 3 first-author · 6 since 2021Artificial intelligence and machine learning · 1 · 1 first-author · 1 since 2021Systems, architecture and hardware · 1 · 1 first-author · 1 since 2021
| Year | Publication | Venue | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | An Efficient Compilation-Based Approach to Explaining Random Forests Through Decision Trees
Alnis Murtovi, Maximilian Schlüter, Bernhard Steffen |
ICAART (2) | 1 |
| 2024 | Enhancing Performance Through Control-Flow Unmerging and Loop Unrolling on GPUsabstractCompilers use a wide range of advanced optimizations to improve the quality of the machine code they generate. In most cases, compiler optimizations rely on precise analyses to be able to perform the optimizations. However, whenever a control-flow merge is performed information is lost as it is not possible to precisely reason about the program anymore. One existing solution to this issue is code duplication, which involves duplicating instructions from merge blocks to their predecessors. This paper introduces a novel and more aggressive approach to code duplication, grounded in loop unrolling and control-flow unmerging that enables subsequent optimizations that cannot be enabled by applying only one of these transformations. We implemented our approach inside LLVM, and evaluated its performance on a collection of GPU benchmarks in CUDA. Our results demonstrate that, even when faced with branch divergence, which complicates code duplication across multiple branches and increases the associated cost, our optimization technique achieves performance improvements of up to 81%. Alnis Murtovi, Giorgis Georgakoudis, Konstantinos Parasyris, Chunhua Liao, Ignacio Laguna, Bernhard Steffen |
CGO | 1 |
| 2023 | Forest GUMP: a tool for verification and explanationabstractAbstract In this paper, we present Forest GUMP (for Generalized, Unifying Merge Process) a tool for verification and precise explanation of Random forests. Besides pre/post-condition-based verification and equivalence checking, Forest GUMP also supports three concepts of explanation, the well-known model explanation and outcome explanation, as well as class characterization, i.e., the precise characterization of all samples that are equally classified. Key technology to achieve these results is algebraic aggregation, i.e., the transformation of a Random Forest into a semantically equivalent, concise white-box representation in terms of Algebraic Decision Diagrams (ADDs). The paper sketches the method and demonstrates the use of Forest GUMP along illustrative examples. This way readers should acquire an intuition about the tool, and the way how it should be used to increase the understanding not only of the considered dataset, but also of the character of Random Forests and the ADD technology, here enriched to comprise infeasible path elimination. As Forest GUMP is publicly available all experiments can be reproduced, modified, and complemented using any dataset that is available in the ARFF format. Alnis Murtovi, Alexander Bainczyk, Gerrit Nolte, Maximilian Schlüter, Bernhard Steffen |
Int. J. Softw. Tools Technol. Transf. | 1 |
| 2023 | The power of typed affine decision structures: a case studyabstractAbstract TADS are a novel, concise white-box representation of neural networks. In this paper, we apply TADS to the problem of neural network verification, using them to generate either proofs or concise error characterizations for desirable neural network properties. In a case study, we consider the robustness of neural networks to adversarial attacks, i.e., small changes to an input that drastically change a neural networks perception, and show that TADS can be used to provide precise diagnostics on how and where robustness errors a occur. We achieve these results by introducing Precondition Projection, a technique that yields a TADS describing network behavior precisely on a given subset of its input space, and combining it with PCA, a traditional, well-understood dimensionality reduction technique. We show that PCA is easily compatible with TADS. All analyses can be implemented in a straightforward fashion using the rich algebraic properties of TADS, demonstrating the utility of the TADS framework for neural network explainability and verification. While TADS do not yet scale as efficiently as state-of-the-art neural network verifiers, we show that, using PCA-based simplifications, they can still scale to medium-sized problems and yield concise explanations for potential errors that can be used for other purposes such as debugging a network or generating new training samples. Gerrit Nolte, Maximilian Schlüter, Alnis Murtovi, Bernhard Steffen |
Int. J. Softw. Tools Technol. Transf. | 3 |
| 2023 | Towards rigorous understanding of neural networks via semantics-preserving transformationsabstractAbstract In this paper, we present an algebraic approach to the precise and global verification and explanation of Rectifier Neural Networks , a subclass of Piece-wise Linear Neural Networks (PLNNs), i.e., networks that semantically represent piece-wise affine functions. Key to our approach is the symbolic execution of these networks that allows the construction of semantically equivalent Typed Affine Decision Structures (TADS). Due to their deterministic and sequential nature, TADS can, similarly to decision trees, be considered as white-box models and therefore as precise solutions to the model and outcome explanation problem. TADS are linear algebras, which allows one to elegantly compare Rectifier Networks for equivalence or similarity, both with precise diagnostic information in case of failure, and to characterize their classification potential by precisely characterizing the set of inputs that are specifically classified, or the set of inputs where two network-based classifiers differ. All phenomena are illustrated along a detailed discussion of a minimal, illustrative example: the continuous XOR function. Maximilian Schlüter, Gerrit Nolte, Alnis Murtovi, Bernhard Steffen |
Int. J. Softw. Tools Technol. Transf. | 3 |
| 2022 | Forest GUMP: A Tool for ExplanationabstractAbstract In this paper, we present Forest GUMP (for Generalized, Unifying Merge Process) a tool for providing tangible experience with three concepts of explanation. Besides the well-known model explanation and outcome explanation, Forest GUMP also supports class characterization, i.e., the precise characterization of all samples with the same classification. Key technology to achieve these results is algebraic aggregation, i.e., the transformation of a Random Forest into a semantically equivalent, concise white-box representation in terms of Algebraic Decision Diagrams (ADDs). The paper sketches the method and illustrates the use of Forest GUMP along an illustrative example taken from the literature. This way readers should acquire an intuition about the tool, and the way how it should be used to increase the understanding not only of the considered dataset, but also of the character of Random Forests and the ADD technology, here enriched to comprise infeasible path elimination. Alnis Murtovi, Alexander Bainczyk, Bernhard Steffen |
TACAS (2) | 1 |
| 2021 | Generative Program Analysis and Beyond: The Power of Domain-Specific Languages (Invited Paper)
Bernhard Steffen, Alnis Murtovi |
VMCAI | 2 |
| 2019 | RERS 2019: Combining Synthesis with Real-World ModelsabstractThis paper covers the Rigorous Examination of Reactive Systems (RERS) Challenge 2019. For the first time in the history of RERS, the challenge features industrial tracks where benchmark programs that participants need to analyze are synthesized from real-world models. These new tracks comprise LTL, CTL, and Reachability properties. In addition, we have further improved our benchmark generation infrastructure for parallel programs towards a full automation. RERS 2019 is part of TOOLympics, an event that hosts several popular challenges and competitions. In this paper, we highlight the newly added industrial tracks and our changes in response to the discussions at and results of the last RERS Challenge in Cyprus. Marc Jasper, Malte Mues, Alnis Murtovi, Maximilian Schlüter, Falk Howar, Bernhard Steffen, Markus Schordan, Dennis Hendriks, Ramon R. H. Schiffelers, Harco Kuppens, Frits W. Vaandrager |
TACAS (3) | 3 |
| 2018 | M3C: Modal Meta Model Checking
Bernhard Steffen, Alnis Murtovi |
FMICS | 2 |
| 2018 | DSLs for Decision Services: A Tutorial Introduction to Language-Driven Engineering
Frederik Gossen, Tiziana Margaria, Alnis Murtovi, Stefan Naujokat, Bernhard Steffen |
ISoLA (1) | 3 |