I am recruiting graduate students! If you have an interest in theoretical computer science and would like to work with me on a research project, please visit the FLAReLab website.
I am the PC chair of CIAA 2026 and the PC co-chair of DCFS 2026. Please consider submitting your research and attending the conferences in August 2026!
Hello world! I am a theoretical computer scientist and assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at St. Francis Xavier University.
I am also the director of FLAReLab, the university’s Formal Languages and Automata Research Lab.
If you like, you can learn more about me or read my curriculum vitæ (CV).
Research
My primary research interests include formal languages and automata theory (particularly in two dimensions), combinatorics on words (particularly in two dimensions), and computability and complexity theory. I have secondary interests in analysis of algorithms and coding theory.
I am the author of the book Theory of Computing: An Open Introduction. (It’s free!)
For more about my research, see my list of publications and my list of presentations and seminars.
Teaching
I am teaching the following course in the Winter 2026 term:
For more about my teaching, visit my past course websites.
Media
Below is a selection of recent media appearances featuring me, my students, and our work.
- Feb. 25, 2026 – StFX computer science professor elected a Senior Member of IEEE, StFX University News
- Oct. 23, 2025 – Second place win, strong presence for StFX at Science Atlantic Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science conference, StFX University News
- Sep. 2, 2025 – StFX students describe Alley Heaps Undergraduate Research Internship as rewarding and transformative, StFX University News
I am available to speak to the media as a subject matter expert on stories relating to theoretical computer science, algorithms, and connections between mathematics and computer science.