Zili Wang.

汪自立

I’m a fourth-year Computer Science PhD student at Iowa State University, advised by Kristin Yvonne Rozier in the Laboratory for Temporal Logic.

My research sits at the intersection of formal methods and artificial intelligence. I develop tools and algorithms for temporal logic, with a particular focus on specification elicitation and validation, and formally verify key algorithms in Isabelle/HOL.

I’m supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (awarded 2024). Before Iowa State, I earned a double-major B.A. in Computer Science and Mathematics from UC Berkeley. Before that, I earned an A.S. in Mathematics from De Anza College.

Portrait of Zili Wang
Fourth-year PhD student · Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Previous internships
  • NASA
  • Amazon
  • Collins Aerospace

The MLTL ecosystem

One place to learn, write, and validate Mission-time LTL.

I’m currently building an integrated ecosystem for Mission-time Linear Temporal Logic. It brings specification elicitation and validation tools together in a single, approachable site for researchers and practitioners.

Explore the MLTL ecosystem

Publications

* Equal contribution.

Google Scholar
2026
Formal methods Click to expand abstract Tap to expand abstract Hide abstract

An Integrated Ecosystem for Mission-time LTL Specification Elicitation and Validation

Zili Wang, Alec Rosentrater, Alexis Aurandt, Christopher Johannsen, Kristin Yvonne Rozier.

Accepted to the International Symposium on Leveraging Applications of Formal Methods, Verification and Validation (ISoLA), 2026.

Abstract

This work presents an integrated ecosystem for eliciting and validating Mission-time Linear Temporal Logic specifications. It brings complementary tools and workflows together so that users can move from informal requirements to formal specifications and check that those specifications capture the intended behavior.

DOI forthcoming MLTL Ecosystem
2026
Formal methods Click to expand abstract Tap to expand abstract Hide abstract

WEST: Interactive Validation of Mission-time Linear Temporal Logic (MLTL)

Zili Wang, Laura P. Gamboa Guzman, Kristin Y. Rozier.

Science of Computer Programming, vol. 248, article 103365, 2026.

Abstract

WEST is an interactive tool for validating MLTL specifications by visualizing the traces that satisfy a formula. The paper presents its command-line and graphical interfaces, five independent methods used to validate the implementation, and scalability results over several suites of randomly generated formulas.

2025
Formal methods Click to expand abstract Tap to expand abstract Hide abstract

Formalizing MLTL Formula Progression in Isabelle/HOL

Katherine Kosaian, Zili Wang, Elizabeth Sloan, Kristin Yvonne Rozier.

In Proceedings of the Conference on Intelligent Computer Mathematics (CICM), pp. 371–391, 2025.

Abstract

This work formalizes MLTL syntax, semantics, and formula progression in Isabelle/HOL. It proves the progression algorithm correct, resolves errors and missing assumptions in prior presentations, and exports executable code that can support trustworthy formula evaluation and benchmark generation.

2025
Formal methods Click to expand abstract Tap to expand abstract Hide abstract

Language Partitioning for Mission-time Linear Temporal Logic

Alec Rosentrater*, Zili Wang*, Katherine Kosaian, Kristin Yvonne Rozier.

In Proceedings of the NASA Formal Methods Symposium (NFM), pp. 313–332, 2025.

Abstract

This paper gives an algorithm that partitions the language of an MLTL formula into disjoint sublanguages represented by related formulas. The algorithm and its correctness proof are mechanized in Isabelle/HOL, exported to executable code, and evaluated experimentally.

2025
Formal methods Click to expand abstract Tap to expand abstract Hide abstract

Formally Verifying a Transformation from MLTL Formulas to Regular Expressions

Zili Wang, Katherine Kosaian, Kristin Yvonne Rozier.

In Proceedings of the International Conference on Tools and Algorithms for the Construction and Analysis of Systems (TACAS), pp. 254–275, 2025.

Abstract

This work mechanizes the WEST transformation from MLTL formulas to trace regular expressions and proves semantic equivalence in Isabelle/HOL. It also develops verified support for restricted regular-expression equivalence and uses exported code to validate the existing WEST implementation.

2025
Aerospace & AI Click to expand abstract Tap to expand abstract Hide abstract

Responsible AI for Air Traffic Management: Application to Runway Configuration Assistance Tool

Milad Memarzadeh, Zili Wang, Farzan Masrour Shalmani, Pouria Razzaghi, Krishna M. Kalyanam.

Aerospace, vol. 12, no. 10, article 872, 2025.

Abstract

This paper studies responsible-AI considerations for air traffic management and applies a practical subset of them to a runway-configuration assistance tool. It examines how an AI decision-support system can be assessed and communicated in a safety-conscious operational setting.

DOI
2024
Machine learning Click to expand abstract Tap to expand abstract Hide abstract

Basic Syntax from Speech: Spontaneous Concatenation in Unsupervised Deep Neural Networks

Gašper Beguš, Thomas Lu, Zili Wang.

In Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci), 2024.

Abstract

Convolutional neural networks trained only on recordings of individual words spontaneously generate outputs containing two or three concatenated words. The study reproduces this behavior across models and datasets, finds novel word combinations, and discusses its implications for compositionality and models of syntax emerging directly from speech.

2024
Software engineering Click to expand abstract Tap to expand abstract Hide abstract

Fast Deterministic Black-box Context-free Grammar Inference

Mohammad Rifat Arefin, Suraj Shetiya, Zili Wang, Christoph Csallner.

In Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM 46th International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE), article 117, pp. 1–12, 2024.

Abstract

TreeVada makes black-box context-free grammar inference deterministic by pre-structuring sample programs according to common nesting rules and recursively applying learned rules. In experiments it runs faster and infers higher-quality grammars than the prior nondeterministic Arvada approach.

2023
Formal methods Click to expand abstract Tap to expand abstract Hide abstract

Mission-time LTL (MLTL) Formula Validation via Regular Expressions

Jenna Elwing*, Laura Gamboa, Jeremy Sorkins*, Chiara Travesset*, Zili Wang*, Kristin Rozier.

In Proceedings of the International Conference on Integrated Formal Methods (iFM), pp. 279–301, 2023.

Abstract

This paper characterizes the computations satisfying an MLTL formula using trace regular expressions and proves the construction sound and complete. It introduces an automated validation algorithm, studies its complexity, and evaluates an open-source implementation with a generated test suite and graphical interface.

B

Mathematics

Authors are listed alphabetically, as is standard in mathematics.

2023
Group theory Click to expand abstract Tap to expand abstract Hide abstract

Finite Permutation Groups With Few Orbits Under the Action on the Power Set, II

Michael Gintz, Matthew Kortje, Megan Laurance, Zili Wang, Yong Yang.

Publicationes Mathematicae Debrecen, vol. 102, pp. 237–254, 2023.

Abstract

This paper continues the classification of permutation groups by the number of orbits induced on a power set. It improves earlier theory and GAP algorithms to classify groups with n + r set-orbits for the previously unresolved range 16 through 33.

DOI
2022
Group theory Click to expand abstract Tap to expand abstract Hide abstract

On the Characterization of Some Non-abelian Simple Groups with Few Codegrees

Michael Gintz, Matthew Kortje, Megan Laurance, Zili Wang, Yong Yang.

Communications in Algebra, vol. 50, pp. 3932–3939, 2022.

Abstract

The paper studies character codegrees as invariants of finite groups. It proves that the codegree sets of selected non-abelian simple groups, including PSL(3,3), determine those groups up to isomorphism.

DOI
2022
Group theory Click to expand abstract Tap to expand abstract Hide abstract

The Number of Set Orbits of Permutation Groups and the Group Order

Michael Gintz, Thomas Keller, Matthew Kortje, Megan Laurance, Zili Wang, Yong Yang.

Bulletin of the Australian Mathematical Society, vol. 106, pp. 89–101, 2022.

Abstract

A permutation group acting on a finite set also acts on its power set, producing a number of set orbits that is useful in bounding conjugacy classes. This paper determines the optimal ratio between the logarithms of the number of set orbits and the group order when large alternating composition factors are excluded.

DOI