Keynote Speaker

Prof. João Luís Sobrinho (University of Lisbon)

João Luís Sobrinho is a Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Lisbon, where he directs and teaches courses on Computer Networks and Algorithms, and a senior researcher at the Telecommunications Institute. He received his PhD in 1995 and joined Bell Labs, where he worked on multiple access protocols for the then-emerging Wi-Fi networks, becoming co-inventor on six patents. Since returning to academia, his research has focused on network routing, leading to the development of routing algebras, a theoretical framework for analyzing routing problems and designing routing algorithms. His work on this topic has been recognized with several distinctions, including an IEEE Communications Society “William R. Bennett Prize” (2006); an Internet Research Task Force “Applied Networking Research Prize” (2015); and a Best Paper Award from ACM SIGCOMM (2020). He is a senior member of the IEEE and a member of the ACM.

Keynote: The Hidden Life of Network Routing

Internet routing is mysterious at its core, even when it works correctly: a routing path may improve when a link is removed; symmetric links do not imply symmetric routing paths; and, in general, the triangle inequality is gone. Some 20 years ago, I was among the few researchers who began investigating the fundamental underpinnings of network routing. This work has developed into what might be called an algebraic theory of network routing, equipped with its own primitive concepts, principles, and theorems. Time has shown the practical value of this theory, whether in configuring routing protocols, in creating efficient algorithms for the network-wide verification of router configurations, or in designing routing protocols for emerging network architectures. In this keynote address, I plan to overview this theory of network routing, unveil some of the mysteries of internet routing, present a few key concepts with wide implications and deep insights, while highlighting practical applications.