About

The Programming Languages, Universality, Semantics, Logic Exchange (a.k.a. PLUSLE /ˈpləs-əl/) is the reading group of the ACP section, which is part of IMADA at the University of Southern Denmark.

Inspired by LaPRaS at Imperial College, the members of the group learn about the common logical core behind various research topics in the field of programming languages (PL). While the group is tailored around the needs of PhD candidates, motivated M.Sc. students and lecturers are also welcome! Please contact us in advance if you would like to join for the first time.

Goal

PLUSLE is here to provide participants with a preparation solid enough to be reapplied in a research setting. PLUSLE is the course that was neither offered by your M.Sc. programme, nor is currently available in your PhD programme.

If you are just looking for a quick impression of what ACP researchers have been working on, or need to rehearse your presentation, please consider attending the ACP seminar. If you wish to connect with students from adjacent fields under the umbrella of formal methods, please consider attending the internal meetings of the FORM research centre.

Topics

PLUSLE is mainly concerned with tools from logic and semantics that enable us to understand PL better. Grasping these notions can sometimes be very hard, and SDU offers few courses on these topics, so some ACP PhD students voiced the need for such a focus.

If you want a more global overview of all topics the ACP section works on, please consider attending the ACP seminar. If you are specifically interested in formal methods, please consider attending the internal meetings of the FORM research centre.

Format

Because PLUSLE’s goal is a preparation solid enough to be later reapplied in research, all members are expected to have worked on the assigned readings before the meeting. The latter is conducted dialogically, rather than as a frontal lecture.

If you would like to be given a tutorial or a presentation, or if you cannot commit to reading assigned material in advance, please consider attending the ACP seminar or the internal meetings of the FORM research centre.

Timeline

The reading group meets monthly, except for winter and summer holidays.

  1. By the 1st of the month, we post a poll in the PLUSLE space. Everybody can use it to vote for one or more papers they would like to read.
  2. By the 8th of the month, we break potential ties within the poll, and mention the winning reading in the announcement of the next reading session on the homepage of this website.
  3. Everybody must read the assigned content before the meeting. Everybody is encouraged to post questions and observations on the reading using the PLUSLE space.
  4. By the end of the month, but not before the 22nd, the meeting takes place as scheduled. On request, the session is in hybrid format.
    1. During the session, the participants discuss questions and observations together. The organizers work as moderators, and expert supervisors may be present to help tackle the most complex topics.
    2. At the end of the meeting, the organizers collect reading proposals for a new poll to be out by the 1st of the following month.

Academic credits (ECTS)

Much like the ACP seminar, PLUSLE can also award ECTS credits to Ph.D. students joining its sessions.

Field Explanation
ECTS value 1.5 ECTS every time you complete the activity
Limitations You can only complete the activity up to three times
Regulations To complete the activity once, you must join 5 sessions, reading the corresponding material in advance. You must also co-organise one of these 5 sessions
Hours We estimate that completing the course activity will take you no more than 5 contact hours and 30 at-home preparation hours
Responsible Marco Peressotti

To ensure the Ph.D. Study Committee approves of you partaking in the reading group for credits, you must fill in section 1 of this form (section 2 is already filled in). After you and your main supervisor have signed it, you must send it to the Ph.D. Study Committee chair (beware: this link will only work if you are already signed in on SDUnet).

After completing the activity, simply ask the course responsible to notify natphd@sdu.dk with you in CC. No attachments necessary. Your ECTS will soon appear on PhDweb.

Organizers

PLUSLE is organized by ACP’s PhD students at the University of Southern Denmark. Here is their contact information.

2026-27

PLUSLE is a very low-effort reading group, so feel free to join us! Our only tasks are described in the “Timeline” section. Your supervisor can contact the Head of Department so that they give you permission to register PLUSLE-related working hours as an organizer (usually 5 per month, but you can bargain for more).

2025-26

The following are the original volunteers behind PLUSLE.

  • Marco Santamaria
  • Viktor Strate Kløvedal
  • Stefano Volpe