Eline Philips - Research

Nomadic networks fill the gap between fixed networks and mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) as they consist of a group of mobile devices that can move around dynamically while trying to maintain a connection with a fixed infrastructure. My research focusses on the coordination of nomadic services by making use of workflows as they provide an additional layer of abstraction such that interactions among application components can be specified on a higher level and be reused because of their loose coupling with the fine-grained application logic. Unfortunately, current workflow systems do not meet all the requirements for the kinds of applications that we envision in nomadic networks, like connection volatility.

AmbientTalk is a programming language which treats disconnections at the very heart of its computational model. Moreover, the language supports dynamic service discovery which is opportune for nomadic networks. Although this language is suited for writing applications for MANETs, the orchestration of these applications is still programmed in an ad hoc manner. Complex nomadic applications that consist of asynchronously executing distributed services become hard to develop, understand and reuse. I am currently working on the addition of an abstraction layer on top of AmbientTalk which implements workflow patterns. I am investigating which new patterns for nomadic networks can be added to this abstraction layer. Concretely, I want support for intensional descriptions of services, group communication, compensating actions and more advanced synchronisation.

• European Conference on Object Oriented Programming, 30 July-3 August 2007, Berlin, Germany.
• European Conference on Object Oriented Programming, 5-11 July 2008, Paphos, Cyprus.
• OOPSLA 2009, 25-30 October 2009, Orlando, USA.
• COORDINATION 2010, 7-10 June 2010, Amsterdam, Nederland.

• 0T4AMI workshop at ECOOP 2007, 30 July 2007, Berlin, Germany.
• MASHUPS'09 at OOPSLA 2009, 25 October 2009, Orlando, USA.

• 2nd AOSD Summer School, 16-20 July 2007, Genova, Italy.

• Cala Junior Seminar, 19-20 February 2007, VUB, Brussel, Belgium.
• CoDAMoS workshop: adaptation, 28 March 2007, KUL, Leuven, Belgium.
• Orion workshop, 31 October 2007, VUB, Brussel, Belgium
• Tutorial on Petri Nets and their Analyses by Dr. Gilles Geeraerts, 19 December 2007, ULB, Brussel, Belgium.
• iBrussels: Urbanity and Technology, close encounters of a certain kind, 30 April 2009, VUB, Brussel, Belgium.