Raphael Isemann

I'm interested in making the software we all use faster, safer and more reliable by building better compilers and programming tools.

I currently work for Apple on LLVM where I create tools for creating and debugging (C++) software. I am located in Stockholm (Sweden).

You can reach me under teemperor(AT-AT)gmail.com.

Projects:

I worked on a bunch of different projects over the years (some of them part of the LLVM umbrella project).

I wrote, rewrote and maintain a good chunk of the LLVM-based debugger LLDB as part of my job at Apple. I also work on LLVM and Clang which LLDB is build upon and the Swift debugger's C-language interoperability.
During my time at CERN I worked on their C++ interpreter and the ROOT data analysis framework: https://root.cern.ch
I've been involved in C++ modules, Clang modules and related projects since 2017. https://clang.llvm.org/docs/Modules.html
I created Clang's clone-detection framework and the static analyser passes that use it to find semantic bugs.
I used to work on WebAssembly during its initial design phase. I wrote one of the first WebAssembly interpreters while I was in undergrad (featuring fairly fast reverse execution and cycle detection): https://github.com/WebAssembly/wasmint.
I was on the core developer team of a user-friendly Linux distribution called elementary OS that you might have seen in magazines such as WIRED. It's alive and well but I am no longer actively working on it myself: elementary.io
I like creating video games (and video game engines) that involve procedural generation and genetic programming since I was a kid.
I created the Bookworm ebook reader in 2014. The project has since been (very successfully) been revamped by Siddhartha Das.

Education:

Chalmers University, Sweden (2016 - 2019)

M.S., Computer Science - algorithms, languages and logic programme

Final average grade: 4.7 (Grading scheme: 5 - best grade, 3 - lowest passing grade)

Kempten University of Applied Science, Germany (2013 - 2016)

B.S., Computer science

Final average grade: 1.5 (Grading scheme: 1 - best grade, 4 - lowest passing grade)

Publications

Optimizing Frameworks Performance Using C++ Modules Aware ROOT

Yuka Takahashi, Vasil Vasilev, Oksana Shadura, Raphael Isemann

23rd International Conference on Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP 2018)

Some misc. writing and publication work:

Beyond debug information: Improving program reconstruction in LLDB using C++ modules

Raphael Isemann

Supervisor & Examiner: Thomas Sewell, Magnus Myreen

Master's thesis, Chalmers University, June 2019

A WebAssembly Interpreter with Integrated Debugging Capabilities

Raphael Isemann

Supervisor & Examiner: Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Ulrich Göhner

Bachelor's thesis, Kempten University of Applied Science, April 2016

The halting problem in real-world programs

Raphael Isemann

Technical Reports in Computing Science No. CS-01-2015 (Kempten University of Applied Science)

I did the evaluation/benchmarking work for the following paper (not an official author but listed in the acknowledgements).

Optimizing ROOT's performance using C++ Modules.

Vassilev, Vassil

Journal of Physics: Conference Series. Vol. 898. No. 7. IOP Publishing, 2017.

Review work for conferences:

I reviewed submissions for the 2020 LLVM Developers' meeting. I also reviewed selected submissions for WebConf'19, IEEE SP 2019 and POST 2019 (which was made possible by my professor at Chalmers Andrei Sabelfeld).

Recorded talks

I frequently give talks at LLVM developer meetings which are usually recorded (see the links below).

Mentoring

I am actively involved in organising Google Summer of Code at the LLVM project and mentoring students during their projects. In 2017 I represented LLVM at the Google Summer of Code mentor summit. The students I mentored in past years are:

Gongyu Deng (Shanghai Jiao Tong University), 2020
Shu Anzai (The University of Tokyo), 2020
Yuka Ikarashi (n ́ee Takahashi) (MIT, The University of Tokyo during the GSoC project) 2017

Grants

Most of my studies were made possible because of several generous people, organisations and other programs. I would like to thank:

The LLVM foundation for granting me a travel stipend to visit the 2017 LLVM Developers' Meeting and present my talk.

The LLVM foundation for granting me a travel stipend to visit the 2016 LLVM Developers' Meeting and present my talk.

A Google Summer of Code 2016 program for the stipend that allowed me to work on Clang's clone detection framework.

The Boost Steering Committee for greanting me a travel stipend to visit, talk and volunteer at the C++now 2016 conference.

The financial support from the German Government as part of the Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz during my undergraduate and graduate studies.