José C. Oliveira

Ph.D. student in Computer Science at Gran Sasso Science Institute.

I am a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) in L’Aquila, Italy. My current research focuses on automated ontology repair in description logics. I also work on opinion dynamics, polarization, and consensus in social networks using formal models and subjective logic.

Before starting my Ph.D., I completed an M.Sc. in Computer Science at the University of Minnesota Duluth (2021–2024), supervised by Dr. Sophia Knight. My thesis, Quantitative Models for Social Networks, developed formal models that represent uncertainty, inconsistency, and dynamic trust between agents in social networks. During my M.Sc. I worked as a research and teaching assistant in the Computer Science Department, teaching courses ranging from introductory programming to the theory of computation, and was awarded Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant in Computer Science in 2024.

I received my B.Sc. in Computer Science from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) (2015–2020). As an undergraduate researcher, under the supervision of Dr. Mário S. Alvim, I worked with subjective logic to improve a formal model for group polarization in social networks, and used the Coq proof assistant for the formalization and verification of software.

My work has been published at the ESSLLI 2022 Student Session and at EKAW 2026, and I develop open-source tools for the research community, including akvmodel, a simulator for the Alvim-Knight-Valencia social network model, and kg2, a model checker for Paraconsistent Gödel Modal Logic.

Interests

  • Logic and reasoning
  • Opinion dynamics
  • Ontology repair
  • Model checking
  • Proof assistants

Experience

Teaching Assistant
Computer Science Department, University of Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, MN, USA
Aug 2022 – Apr 2024
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Awarded Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant in Computer Science in 2024.
Research Assistant
Computer Science Department, University of Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, MN, USA
Aug 2021 – May 2022
Worked on formal models to understand change of opinion and group polarization in Social Networks.
Undergraduate Researcher
Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Mar 2018 – Nov 2020
Advisor: Mário Sérgio Alvim.
Worked with Subjective Logic to improve a formal model for group polarization in social networks.
Worked with the Coq proof assistant for formalization and verification of software.
Teaching Assistant
Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Jan 2019 – Dec 2019
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Education

Ph.D. in Computer Science
Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI)
L’Aquila, Italy
Nov 2024 – Present
Research project: Consistent Opinion Diffusion and Structured Knowledge Evolution in Social Networks.
Supervisor: Dr. Nicolas Troquard. nicolas.troquard@gssi.it
M.Sc. in Computer Science
University of Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, MN, USA
Aug 2021 – Aug 2024
GPA: 3.9/4.0
Advisor: Dr. Sophia Knight
Thesis: “Quantitative Models for Social Networks”
Funded as a research assistant.
Awarded Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant in Computer Science in 2024.
Coursework: Theory of Computation, Algorithms, Data Structures, Artificial Intelligence, Modeling with Dynamic Systems, Modal Logic.
B.Sc. in Computer Science
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG)
Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Aug 2015 – Nov 2020
Advisor: Dr. Mário S. Alvim
Final project: Formalization and verification of sorting algorithms using the Coq proof assistant.
Coursework: Theory of Computation, Linear Optimization, Information Theory, Graph Theory, Data Science, Human Centered Machine Learning, Quantum Computing, Game Theory, Logic Programming.