Joost Joosten#

Joost Joosten has two main lines of research:

1) Mathematical Logic in the foundations of mathematics

Here, we start with easy questions, like what is a number, where `do they live' and how can we know things about numbers, are there really infinitely many numbers, what does infinity really mean, how does it behave and how can we know about the infinite, etc.

We use mathematical theorems to address formalised possible answers.

(2) Mathematical logic applied to hot topics in society

Most notably, using Formal Methods to generate software of error zero. Software typically contains programming errors, be they bugs, glitches, typos, design/logical errors, etc. Using mathematical logic one can design software that is free of error with mathematical precision in a certain sense. The point is: whenever we have critical software where errors can have enormous consequences, formal methods should be applied. This is difficult, time consuming and costly but sometimes it is worth the effort if not indispensable.

In the first line, Joost Joosten moves within an international network: Member of the Core-initiating Committee of The Proof Society (https://www.proofsociety.org) and a regular visitor of the main conferences. Joost Joosten is the main founder of the Workshop on Proof Theory, Modal Logic and Reflection Principles (Wormshop) which started in 2012 and which celebrated its sixth edition in 2023 in Bern and shall be hosted in Ghent in 2024. Also, he leads the Barcelona Group on Pure and Applied Proof Theory.

In the second line, Joost Joosten participates with a spin-off, Formal Vindications SL which has various covenants with the University of Barcelona. Not only is Joost Joosten involved in the applications of Mathematical Logic and Formal Methods to obtain zero-error (legal) software, but he is also in contact with legal scholars to study the impact on society of (error-prone and error-free) legal software and legal artificial intelligence.