The GRIF is the fundamental computer science research group at the Université de Sherbrooke. Our members work at the intersection of theoretical computer science and its applications in bioinformatics, formal methods and quantum computing.
Members
Professors
- Manuel Lafond — bioinformatics, algorithms, graph theory, phylogenetics, computational complexity
- Aïda Ouangraoua — bioinformatics and computational biology, algorithms, phylogenetics, RNA structure
- Nadia Tahiri — bioinformatics, phylogenetics, classification, clustering, algorithms
- Michael Blondin — algorithmic formal verification, automata, logic, computational complexity
- Marc Frappier — formal specification, security, consent management
- Dave Touchette — quantum computing, information theory, communication complexity
- Cunlu Zhou — quantum computing, optimization, complexity theory, quantum physics
Postdocs
- Elham Torabian (advisor: Dave Touchette + Cunlu Zhou)
PhD students
- Vanessa Flügel (advisor: Michael Blondin + Guillermo A. Pérez @ UAntwerp)
- Antoine Carrier (advisor: Dave Touchette)
- Gurleen Padda (advisor: Dave Touchette)
Master's students
- Benjamin Courchesne (advisor: Michael Blondin)
- Samy Chady Khoumsi-Kasmi (advisor: Michael Blondin)
- Louis Desruisseaux (advisor: Dave Touchette)
- Simon Ducharme (advisor: Dave Touchette)
- Elisabeth Mailhot (advisor: Dave Touchette + Cunlu Zhou)
Undergraduate interns
- Eliott Texier (advisor: Michael Blondin)
- Pierre-Étienne Brindle (advisor: Dave Touchette)
- Ludovic Chabot Provencher (advisor: Dave Touchette + Cunlu Zhou)
Research areas
The research activities of the GRIF cover the following topics:
- Algorithms
- Automata theory
- Bioinformatics
- Classification
- Clustering
- Computational biology
- Computational complexity
- Cryptography and security
- Formal methods
- Formal verification
- Graph theory
- Information theory
- Logic
- Optimization
- Parameterized complexity
- Quantum computing
- Specification and refinement
- Theory of computation
Courses
Courses of the Université de Sherbroke related to the fields of the GRIF and taught (mostly in French) by its members:
- MAT115 – Logique et mathématiques discrètes
- IFT313 – Introduction aux langages formels
- IFT339 – Structures de données
- IFT436 – Algorithmes et structures de données
- IGL501/IGL710 – Méthodes formelles en génie logiciel
- IGL502/IGL752 – Techniques de vérification et de validation
- IFT503/IFT711 – Théorie du calcul
- IFT606 – Sécurité et cryptographie
- IFQ701 – Algorithmes quantiques
- BIN702 – Algorithmes pour la bio-informatique
- BIN704 – Sujets choisis en bio-informatique
- BIN710 – Forage de données pour la bio-informatique
- IFT769 – Sujets choisis en informatique théorique
- IFT800 – Algorithmique
- IFT814 – Cryptographie
Talks
- 2026-03-17: Exploring word equations — Michael Blondin (theory lunch)