Research

• I work on practical algorithms for various classes of NP-hard problems, mostly over continuous spaces and mostly related to building better autonomous systems.

Teaching

• UCSD CSE150: Introduction to AI: Search and Reasoning (Winter 2019, Winter 2018)
• UCSD CSE291: Topics in Search and Reasoning (Spring 2019)

• dReal [tool page]
  Automated reasoning in nonlinear theories over the reals.
• dReach [tool page]
  Reachability analysis and planning for nonlinear hybrid systems.

• PhD Students: Armaiti Ardeshiricham (with Ryan Kastner), Ya-Chien Chang, Chiaki Hirayama, Aditi Mavalankar, Sophia Sun, Zhi Wang, Yaoguang Zhai (with Francesco Paesani)
• Postdocs: Nima Roohi
• Alumni: Yongsoo Song (postdoc '18-'19, now Microsoft Research), Jacek Cyranka (postdoc '17-'19, now University of Warsaw)

• Neural Lyapunov Control
  Ya-Chien Chang, Nima Roohi, and Sicun Gao
  In NeurIPS (Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems) 2019
• VeriSketch: Synthesizing Secure Hardware Designs with Timing-Sensitive Information Flow Properties [pdf]
  Armaiti Ardeshiricham, Yoshiki Takashima, Sicun Gao, and Ryan Kastner
  In CCS (ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security) 2019
• Numerically-Robust Inductive Proof Rules for Continuous Dynamical Systems [pdf]
  Sicun Gao, James Kapinski, Jyotirmoy Deshmukh, Nima Roohi, Armando Solar-Lezama, Nikos Arechiga, and Soonho Kong
  In CAV (International Conference on Computer Aided Verification) 2019
• Inverse Abstraction of Neural Networks Using Symbolic Interpolation [pdf]
  Sumanth Dathathri, Sicun Gao, and Richard M. Murray
  In AAAI (AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence) 2019
• Tight Continuous-Time Reachtubes for Lagrangian Reachability [pdf]
  Jacek Cyranka, Md. Ariful Islam, Scott Smolka, Sicun Gao, and Radu Grosu
  In CDC (IEEE Conference on Decision and Control) 2018
• Delta-Decision Procedures for Exists-Forall Problems over the Reals [pdf]
  Soonho Kong, Armando Solar-Lezama, and Sicun Gao
  In CAV (International Conference on Computer Aided Verification) 2018
• LEMAX: Learning-based Energy Consumption Minimization in Approximate Computing with Quality Guarantee
  Vahideh Akhlaghi, Sicun Gao, and Rajesh Gupta
  In DAC (Design Automation Conference) 2018
• Modular SMT-Based Analysis of Nonlinear Hybrid Systems [pdf]
  Kyungmin Bae and Sicun Gao
  In FMCAD (Formal Methods in Computer-Aided Design) 2017
• Learning-Based Abstractions for Nonlinear Constraint Solving [pdf]
  Sumanth Dathathri, Nikos Arechiga, Sicun Gao, and Richard M. Murray
  In IJCAI (International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence) 2017
• Interpolants in Nonlinear Theories over the Reals [pdf]
  Sicun Gao and Damien Zufferey
  In TACAS (International Conference on Tools and Algorithms for the Construction and Analysis of Systems) 2016
• APEX: A Tool for Autonomous Vehicle Plan Verification and Execution [pdf]
  Matthew O'Kelly, Houssam Abbas, Sicun Gao, Shin'ichi Shiraishi, Shinpei Kato, and Rahul Mangharam
  In SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) World Congress and Exhibition 2016
  
• SMT-Based Analysis of Virtually Synchronous Distributed Hybrid Systems [pdf]
  Kyungmin Bae, Peter Olveczky, Soonho Kong, and Sicun Gao
  In HSCC (ACM International Conference on Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control) 2016
• Automated Vulnerability Analysis of AC State Estimation under Constrained False Data Injection in Electric Power Systems [pdf]
  Sicun Gao, Le Xie, Armando Solar-Lezama, Dimitrios Serpanos, and Howard Shrobe
  In CDC (IEEE Conference on Decision and Control) 2015
• dReach: Delta-Reachability Analysis for Hybrid Systems [pdf]
  Soonho Kong, Sicun Gao, Wei Chen, and Edmund Clarke
  In TACAS (International Conference on Tools and Algorithms for the Construction and Analysis of Systems) 2015
• SMT-Based Nonlinear PDDL+ Planning [pdf]
  Daniel Bryce, Sicun Gao, David Musliner, and Robert P. Goldman
  In AAAI (AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence) 2015
• Towards Personalized Prostate Cancer Therapy Using Delta-Reachability Analysis [pdf]
  Bing Liu, Soonho Kong, Sicun Gao, Paolo Zuliani, and Edmund Clarke
  In HSCC (ACM International Conference on Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control) 2015
• Parameter Synthesis for Cardiac Cell Hybrid Models Using Delta-Decisions [arXiv]
  Bing Liu, Soonho Kong, Sicun Gao, Paolo Zuliani, and Edmund Clarke
  In CMSB (Computational Methods in Systems Biology) 2014
• Proof Generation from Delta-Decisions [arXiv]
  Sicun Gao, Soonho Kong, and Edmund Clarke
  In SYNASC (International Conference on Symbolic and Numerical Algorithms for Scientific Computing) 2014
• Satisfiability Modulo ODEs [pdf]
  Sicun Gao, Soonho Kong, and Edmund Clarke
  In FMCAD (Formal Methods in Computer-Aided Design) 2013
• Floating-point Bugs in the Embedded GNU C Library [pdf]
  Soonho Kong, Sicun Gao, and Edmund Clarke
  CMU SCS Technical Report CMU-CS-13-130 2013
• dReal: An SMT Solver for Nonlinear Theories of Reals [pdf] [tool]
  Sicun Gao, Soonho Kong, and Edmund Clarke
  In CADE (International Conference on Automated Deduction) 2013
• Computable Analysis, Hybrid Automata, and Decision Procedures: A New Framework for the Formal Verification of Cyber-Physical Systems [extended abstract]
  PhD Thesis in Logic, Carnegie Mellon University 2012
  Committee: Edmund Clarke (co-chair), Jeremy Avigad (co-chair), Lenore Blum, Randy Bryant, and Jeannette Wing
  
• Delta-Complete Decision Procedures for Satisfiability over the Reals [pdf]
  Sicun Gao, Jeremy Avigad, and Edmund Clarke
  In IJCAR (International Joint Conference on Automated Reasoning) 2012
• Delta-Decidability over the Reals [arXiv]
  Sicun Gao, Jeremy Avigad, and Edmund Clarke
  In LICS (Logic in Computer Science) 2012
• Quantifier Elimination over Finite Fields with Groebner Bases [arXiv]
  Sicun Gao, Andre Platzer, and Edmund Clarke
  In CAI (International Conference on Algebraic Informatics) 2011
• Integrating ICP and LRA Solvers for Deciding Nonlinear Real Arithmetic [pdf]
  Sicun Gao, Malay Ganai, Franjo Ivancic, Aarti Gupta, Sriram Sankaranarayanan, and Edmund Clarke
  In FMCAD (Formal Methods in Computer Aided Design) 2010
• A Non-Prenex DPLL-Based QBF Solver with Game-State Learning [pdf]
  William Klieber, Samir Sapra, Sicun Gao, and Edmund Clarke
  In SAT (Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing) 2010
• Counting Zeros over Finite Fields with Groebner Bases [pdf]
  MS Thesis in Logic, Carnegie Mellon University 2009

• Air Force Young Investigator
• DARPA Assured Autonomy
• NSF National Robotics Initiative
• NSF Cyber-Physical Systems

The infinite we shall do right away. The finite may take a little longer. -- Stanislaw Ulam