Enhancing Intermediate Representation Infrastructure for Static Analysis

PhD Qualifying Examination


Title: "Enhancing Intermediate Representation Infrastructure for Static 
Analysis"

by

Mr. Bowen ZHANG


Abstract:

Static analysis reasons various program properties without actual execution, 
to make software more reliable, secure, and performant. Central to this 
technique is the utilization of Intermediate Representations (IR), which uses 
graph structure to organize program information. We will use this survey to 
establish how to provide better infrastructure for static analysis at the IR 
level. Specifically, the research in the community can be summarized into the 
following three research questions:

(1) What kind of graph structure does static analysis require for IR?
(2) In what way should static analysis query the IR?
(3) How should static analysis access the IR?

By organizing and addressing these research questions, we have compiled a 
comprehensive set of considerations for static analysis practitioners on 
effectively utilizing IR and provided some insights for future research.


Date:                   Thursday, 5 February 2026

Time:                   2:00pm - 4:00pm

Venue:                  Room 4472
                        Lift 25/26

Committee Members:      Prof. Charles Zhang (Supervisor)
                        Dr. Dimitris Papadopoulos (Chairperson)
                        Prof. Ke Yi