Trailblazers in Computing: Marta Kwiatkowska

By Toshna Rane
Communications Team Volunteer, ACM-W Europe

This month in our Trailblazers in Computing series, we spotlight Professor Marta Kwiatkowska, a Polish computer scientist whose pioneering research has transformed the way we verify the safety and reliability of modern computing systems. From autonomous vehicles and medical devices to artificial intelligence, her work has helped ensure that the technologies we increasingly rely on can be trusted to behave safely in complex and uncertain environments.

Introduction

As technology becomes more deeply embedded in our everyday lives, an increasingly important question emerges: How can we trust the systems we build?

From autonomous vehicles and healthcare technologies to communication networks and artificial intelligence, today’s computing systems are expected to make decisions that can have significant real-world consequences. Ensuring that these systems are reliable is one of the defining challenges of modern computer science.

Few researchers have shaped this field as profoundly as Professor Marta Kwiatkowska. A Polish computer scientist and Professor of Computing Systems at the University of Oxford, Kwiatkowska has spent her career developing mathematical methods that enable engineers and researchers to analyse whether complex systems behave safely, securely, and as intended. Her work has fundamentally advanced the field of probabilistic model checking, helping establish new standards for designing dependable computing systems.

Making Reliable Systems Possible

Unlike traditional software, many modern systems operate in environments filled with uncertainty. A self-driving car, for example, must respond to changing traffic conditions, while a medical device must continue functioning reliably despite unpredictable circumstances.

Rather than relying solely on testing, Kwiatkowska’s research focuses on formal verification, a mathematical approach that proves whether a system satisfies specific safety and performance requirements. She became one of the pioneers of probabilistic model checking, extending verification techniques to systems whose behaviour involves probability and uncertainty. This has enabled researchers and engineers to analyse not only whether something can go wrong, but also how likely different outcomes are and whether systems meet reliability guarantees.

The PRISM Model Checker

Among Kwiatkowska’s most influential contributions is her leadership in developing PRISM, one of the world’s leading probabilistic model checking tools.

PRISM allows researchers and engineers to model complex systems and mathematically verify properties such as safety, performance, reliability, and energy consumption before those systems are deployed. Over the past two decades, it has become an internationally recognised research tool, supporting applications across robotics, cybersecurity, communication networks, systems biology, quantum computing, and autonomous systems.

Her work demonstrates how advances in theoretical computer science can directly improve technologies that millions of people depend upon every day.

Leadership in Research

Alongside her research contributions, Marta Kwiatkowska has played an influential role in shaping the international computing community.

She became the first female Professor in the University of Oxford’s Department of Computer Science and has led major international research initiatives supported by the European Research Council. Throughout her career, she has also mentored researchers from around the world while contributing to scientific leadership through organisations including the ACM, the Royal Society, and the Alan Turing Institute.

Her achievements have been recognised through numerous honours, including election as an ACM Fellow, Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), recipient of the BCS Lovelace Medal, the Royal Society Milner Award, and the Van Wijngaarden Award for her pioneering contributions to verification and trustworthy computing.

Why Her Story Matters

Much of the technology we rely on today works quietly in the background. We rarely think about the mathematical foundations that ensure our navigation systems function correctly, medical technologies operate safely, or autonomous systems make reliable decisions.

Marta Kwiatkowska’s career reminds us that some of the most important advances in computing happen behind the scenes. By combining mathematical rigour with practical applications, she has helped make modern computing systems safer, more dependable, and more trustworthy.

For the ACM-W community, her story highlights the importance of fundamental research in addressing real-world challenges. It also demonstrates how leadership, collaboration, and scientific curiosity can create lasting impact, not only through new technologies, but by building the foundations upon which future innovations depend.

References

  1. University of Oxford, Department of Computer Science. Professor Marta Kwiatkowska – Biography and Research. https://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/Marta.Kwiatkowska/
  2. University of Oxford. Professional Activities, Fellowships and Awards. https://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/people/marta.kwiatkowska/activities.html
  3. ACM Fellows Announcement – Marta Kwiatkowska Selected as an ACM Fellow. https://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/news/1230-full.html
  4. Kwiatkowska, M., Norman, G., & Parker, D. (2022). Probabilistic Model Checking and Autonomy. Annual Review of Control, Robotics, and Autonomous Systems.
  5. Academy of Europe. Marta Z. Kwiatkowska. https://www.ae-info.org/ae/User/Kwiatkowska_Marta