Hans Zantema

Hans Zantema is an esteemed Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and also serves as a part-time Full Professor at Radboud University in Nijmegen. His research expertise spans algorithms, automated reasoning, term rewriting systems, automata theory, and constraint solving systems. He is particularly focused on the theoretical aspects of these fields, exploring how various problems can be transformed into formulas that can be solved automatically through computer programs. Notably, Hans has made significant contributions to term rewriting systems, especially in the area of automatically proving termination, and he is recognized for "Zantema's problem," which questions whether the string rewrite system 0011 → 111000 terminates. Hans earned his PhD in algebraic number theory from the University of Amsterdam in 1983, with a thesis titled "Integer Valued Polynomials in Algebraic Number Theory." Following his graduation, he worked at Philips Data Systems before transitioning to academia. From 1987 to 2000, he was affiliated with Utrecht University, and in 2000, he joined TU/e. He also took on a position at Radboud University in Nijmegen in 2007.