Senior Lecturer in Foundational AI at the University of Glasgow, UK.
My research interests include: finite model theory, logic in computer science, logics for dependence and independence, modal logics, logics for verification, logical foundations of neural networks, logical foundations of quantum information theory, computational complexity, and logics with team semantics.
Please, find my publications below grouped into topics, and slides for some of my talks behind the above links.
You can find me at:dblp, Google Scholar, Scopus, ORCID, ResearchGate.
Email: jonni.virtema@glasgow.ac.uk
Open Positions:
If you are interested in doing a PhD related to my research areas, please contact me directly by email. Several funding schemes exist for both home and overseas students around the year.
Upcoming Events:
Logic + GNNs meeting, Queen Mary University of London, June 2026, London, UK.
4th European Summer School on Artificial Intelligence, ESSAI 2026, July 2026, Vienna, Austria.
23rd International Conference on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, KR 2026, July 2026, Lisbon, Portugal.
3rd Liverpool Discrete Mathematics Colloquium: Logics and Graph Neural Networks, and Stochastic Gradient Descent, September 2026, Liverpool, UK.
Dagstuhl Seminar: Deep Learning on Structured Data: Expressivity, Generalization, and Convergence, November 2026, Dagstuhl, Germany.
Recent News
- June 2026 — Delighted to be invited to present my work on logics and graph neural networks at the Liverpool Discrete Mathematics Colloquium in September.
- May 2026 — Delighted to have the opportunity to present my joint work with Huan Luo on logic and GNNs at Logic + GNNs meeting at QMUL in June.
- May 2026 — Congratulations for Max Sandström for successfully defending his PhD!
- April 2026 — Two papers, this and that, accepted to KR 2026.
- February 2026 — The Royal Society of Edinburgh awarded funding for my collaboration with Arne Meier on fine-grained complexity of CQA.
- February 2026 — I will be co-organising a Dagstuhl Seminar Deep Learning on Structured Data: Expressivity, Generalization, and Convergence in November.
- February 2026 — Joined the PC of CSL 2027.
- January 2026 — I will be lecturing a short course titled "Recurrent GNNs: The Power of Iteration'' at the 4th European Summer School on Artificial Intelligence with Floris Geerts in July.
- December 2025 — Joined the PCs of KR 2026 and ICDT 2027.
- October 2025 — Excited to announce that I will start as a Senior Lecturer in Foundational AI at the University of Glasgow from the start of November.
- September 2025 — Joined the PC of ESSLLI 2026.
- July 2025 — A paper accepted to Acta Informatica, and this and that to KR 2025.
- March 2025 — A paper accepted to the Journal of Logic and Computation, another to Information and Computation, and third to PODS 2025.
- March 2025 — Joined the PC of KR 2025.
- February 2025 — Joined the PC of NeurIPS 2025.
- February 2025 — Attended excellent Dagstuhl seminars on Logic and Neural Networks and Semirings in Databases, Automata, and Logic.
- February 2025 — MSc. Huan Luo starts as a PhD student in the group.
- January 2025 — Congratulations for Nina Pardal for starting as a Lecturer in Huddersfield!
Here are some older news:
- December 2024 — Joined the PC of ICML 2025.
- November 2024 — Prof. Katsuhiko Sano is visiting the group for two months.
- November 2024 — Dr. Nina Pardal moves to a new postdoc position at the University of Southampton.
- October 2024 — MSc. Max Sandström returns to the University of Helsinki.
- September 2024 — A paper accepted to NeurIPS 2024.
- September 2024 — Joined the PC of ICLR 2025.
- August 2024 — Gave a course with Arne Meier in ESSLLI 2024.
- May 2024 — Joined the PC of NeurIPS 2024.
- April 2024 — Joined the PC of KR 2024.
- April 2024 — Co-chairing the PC of FoIKS 2026 to be organised in Hannover.
- April 2024 — FoIKS 2024 took place in Sheffield.
- March 2024 — Dagstuhl Seminar Logics for Dependence and Independence: Expressivity and Complexity took place in Dagstuhl.
- January 2024 — Papers this and that accepted to FoIKS 2024.
- December 2023 — A paper accepted to AAAI 2024.
- October 2023 — A paper accepted to CSL 2024.
- October 2023 — Joined the PC of AWPL 2024.
- July 2023 — Papers this and that accepted to JELIA 2023.
- June 2023 — A paper accepted to MFCS 2023.
- May 2023 — A paper accepted to KR 2023 and another to WoLLIC 2023.
- April 2023 — MSc. Timon Barlag joins the group as a research associate for six months.
- March 2023 — MSc. Max Sandström joins the group as a teaching and research assistant.
- November 2022 — Dr. Nina Pardal joins the group as a postdoctoral researcher.
- September 2022 — Visiting the University of Helsinki for the Autumn.
- September 2022 — Dr. Fausto Barbero leaves Sheffield to be an Academy of Finland Research Fellow at the University of Helsinki.
- June 2022 — Chairing the OC of FoIKS 2024 to be organised in Sheffield.
- June 2022 — Workshop Logical Approach to Neural Networks organised in Sheffield.
- April 2022 — Paper accepted to LICS 2022.
- April 2022 — Dr. Fausto Barbero joins the group as a postdoctoral researcher.
- March 2022 — Joined the Track B PC of FSTTCS 2022.
- February 2022 — Paper accepted to Annals of Pure and Applied Logic.
- September 2021 — Paper accepted to FSTTCS 2021.
- September 2021 — Started as a Lecturer in Verification at the University of Sheffield.
Neural Networks and Distributed Computing
-
Recurrent Graph Neural Networks and Arithmetic Circuits
(KR 2026)
(Joint work with T. Barlag, V. Holzapfel, L. Strieker, and H. Vollmer.) -
Unifying approach to uniform expressivity of graph neural networks
(KR 2026)
(Joint work with H. Luo.) -
Halting Recurrent GNNs and the Graded μ-Calculus
(KR 2025)
(Joint work with J. Bollen, S. Vansummeren, and J. Van den Bussche.) - Graph Neural Networks and Arithmetic Circuits
(NeurIPS 2024)
(Joint work with T. Barlag, V. Holzapfel, L. Strieker, and H. Vollmer.) - Complexity of Neural Network Training and ETR: Extensions with Effectively Continuous Functions
(AAAI 2024)
(Joint work with T. Hankala, M. Hannula, and J. Kontinen.) - Weak models of distributed computing, with connections to modal logic
( Distributed Comput. 2015,
special issue of ACM PODC 2012)
(Joint work with L. Hella, M. Järvisalo, A. Kuusisto, J. Laurinharju, T. Lempiäinen, K. Luosto, and J. Suomela.)
Theory of Databases and Knowledge Representation
-
Dichotomy for Axiomatising Inclusion Dependencies on K-Databases
(arXiv 2026)
(Joint work with M. Hannula and T. Ismikhanov.) -
Local consistency and axioms of functional dependence
(arXiv 2025)
(Joint work with T. Barlag, M. Hannula, J. Kontinen, and N. Pardal.) - A logic-based framework for database repairs
(KR 2025)
(Joint work with Nicolas Fröhlich, Arne Meier, and N. Pardal.) -
Rewriting Consistent Answers on Annotated Data
(PODS 2025)
(Joint work with P. G. Kolaitis, N. Pardal, and J. Wijsen.) -
Computing Repairs Under Functional and Inclusion Dependencies via Argumentation
(FoIKS 2024)
(Joint work with Y. Mahmood, T. Barlag, and A. Ngonga Ngomo.) -
Unified Foundations of Team Semantics via Semirings
(KR 2023)
(Joint work with T. Barlag, M. Hannula, J. Kontinen, and N. Pardal.) - Fully Generic Queries: Open Problems and Some Partial Answers
(MEDI 2019)
(Joint work with D. Surinx and J. Van den Bussche.)
Probabilistic Logics and Metafinite Model Theory
-
Expressivity Landscape for Logics with Probabilistic Interventionist Counterfactuals
(CSL 2024)
(Joint work with F. Barbero.) -
Logics with probabilistic team semantics and the Boolean negation
(J. Log. Comput. 2025, extends JELIA 2023)
(Joint work with Miika Hannula, Minna Hirvonen, Juha Kontinen, Yasir Mahmood, and Arne Meier.) -
Strongly complete axiomatization for a logic with probabilistic interventionist counterfactuals
(JELIA 2023)
(Joint work with F. Barbero.) - Tractability frontiers in probabilistic team semantics and existential second-order logic over the reals (Ann. Pure Appl. Log. 2022, extends JELIA 2021)
(Joint work with M. Hannula.) -
Descriptive complexity of real computation and probabilistic independence logic
(LICS 2020,
slides1, slides2, video)
(Joint work with M. Hannula, J. Kontinen, and J. Van den Bussche.) -
Facets of Distribution Identities in Probabilistic Team Semantics
(JELIA 2019)
(Joint work with M. Hannula, Å. Hirvonen, J. Kontinen, and V. Kulikov.) -
Probabilistic Team Semantics
(FOIKS 2018,
slides1, slides2, slides3)
(Joint work with A. Durand, M. Hannula, J. Kontinen, and A. Meier.)
Temporal Logics and Hyperproperties
-
Expressivity of Asynchronous TeamLTL and HyperLTL
(Acta Inform. 2025)
Conference version in FoIKS 2024.
(Joint work with Juha Kontinen and Max Sandström.) -
Set Semantics for Asynchronous TeamLTL: Expressivity and Complexity (Inf. Comput. 2025, special issue of MFCS 2023).
(Joint work with J. Kontinen and M. Sandström.) - Temporal Team Semantics Revisited (LICS 2022)
(Joint work with J. Gutsfeld, A. Meier, and C. Ohrem.) - Linear-time Temporal Logic with Team Semantics: Expressivity and Complexity (FSTTCS 2021, slides, video)
(Joint work with B. Finkbeiner, J. Hofmann, J. Kontinen, and F. Yang.) -
Team Semantics for the Specification and Verification of Hyperproperties
(MFCS 2018,
slides)
(Joint work with A. Krebs, A. Meier, and M. Zimmermann.) -
A Team Based Variant of CTL
(TIME 2015)
(Joint work with A. Krebs and A. Meier.)
Finite Model Theory
- Descriptive Complexity of Deterministic Polylogarithmic Time and Space
(J. Comput. Syst. Sci. 2021,
slides)
Conference version in WoLLIC 2019.
(Joint work with F. Ferrarotti, S. Gonzalez, J.M. Turull Torres, and J. Van den Bussche.) -
Expressivity within second-order transitive-closure logic
(CSL 2018,
slides1, slides2, slides3)
(Joint work with F. Ferrarotti and J. Van den Bussche.)
Definability of Modal Logics
- Semantic Characterizations of Intuitionistic Logic with the Universal Modality and Intuitionistic Inquisitive Logic
(Joint work with K. Sano.) -
Characterising Modal Definability of Team-Based Logics via the Universal Modality
(Ann. Pure Appl. Log. 2019,
slides1, slides2)
Conference versions in WoLLIC 2015 and 2016.
(Joint work with K. Sano.) -
The Expressive Power of Modal Dependence Logic
(AIML 2014)
(Joint work with L. Hella, K. Luosto, and K. Sano.) -
Extended Modal Dependence Logic EMDL
(WoLLIC 2013)
(Joint work with J. Ebbing, L. Hella, A. Meier, J.S. Müller, and H. Vollmer.)
Complexity of Propositional and Modal Logics
- Parameterised Complexity of Propositional Inclusion and Independence Logic (WoLLIC 2023)
(Joint work with Y. Mahmood.) - On the Complexity of Horn and Krom Fragments of Second-Order Boolean Logic
(CSL 2021,
slides, video)
(Joint work with M. Hannula, J. Kontinen, and M. Lück) - Model checking and validity in propositional and modal inclusion logics
(J. Log. Comput. 2019,
slides)
Conference version in MFCS 2017.
(Joint work with L. Hella, A. Kuusisto, and A. Meier.) -
Complexity of Propositional Logics in Team Semantics
(ACM Trans. Comput. Log. 2018,
slides1, slides2)
Conference version in MFCS 2015.
(Joint work with M. Hannula, J. Kontinen, and H. Vollmer.) -
Complexity of validity for propositional dependence logics
(Inf. Comput. 2017,
slides)
Conference version in GandALF 2014.
-
On quantified propositional logics and the exponential time hierarchy
(GandALF 2016,
slides)
(Joint work with M. Hannula, J. Kontinen, and M. Lück)
First-Order Team Semantics
- Polyteam Semantics ( J. Log. Comput. 2020,
slides)
Conference version in LFCS 2018.
(Joint work with M. Hannula and J. Kontinen.) -
Approximation and Dependence via Multiteam Semantics
(Ann. Math. Artif. Intell. 2018)
Conference version in FoIKS 2016.
(Joint work with A. Durand, M. Hannula, J. Kontinen, and A. Meier.) -
Boolean Dependence Logic and Partially-Ordered Connectives
(J. Comput. Syst. Sci. 2017)
Conference version in WoLLIC 2013.
(Joint work with J. Ebbing, L. Hella, and P. Lohmann.) -
Decidability of predicate logics with team semantics
(MFCS 2016,
slides)
(Joint work with J. Kontinen and A. Kuusisto.) -
Complexity of two-variable Dependence Logic and IF-Logic
(Inf. Comput. 2014)
Conference version in LICS 2011.
(Joint work with J. Kontinen, A. Kuusisto, and P. Lohmann.)
Axiomatisations in Modal Team Semantics
- Axiomatizing Propositional Dependence Logics
(CSL 2015)
(Joint work with K. Sano.)
Logical Foundations of Geometry
- Undecidable First-Order Theories of Affine Geometries
(Log. Methods Comput. Sci. 2013, special issue of CSL 2012)
(Joint work with A. Kuusisto and J. Meyers.)