Meet Marcel Henri Gerard Verhoef

  • MSc in computer science (1993, Delft University of Technology, NL)
  • PhD in computer science (2009, Radboud University Nijmegen, NL)
  • Previously worked for TU Delft, BSO Nieuwegein, BSO/Origin, Origin
  • Currently member of the iTECH group at CHESS
  • send me an e-mail or you can also find me on LinkedIn
  • read this interview on the ESI web-site (also available in Dutch)
  • here is my pgp public key.


Current and Past Activities


I work for CHESS (Computer Hardware & System Software) since 1999, a small / medium enterprise (SME, 150 employees) based in Haarlem (NL) specialized in the development of high-end computer based systems for business critical applications. We develop both hard- and software in house, for our own products as well as for OEMs and other high-tech customers.

I have succesfully completed (of course together with many collegues and in close cooperation with our customers) substantial system engineering projects for clients such as the Dutch Department of Defense, the Flower Auction at Aalsmeer (real-time auction clock system), the European Space Agency (proposal handling system of the Integral mission), Oce Technologies (wide-format printing calibration subsystem) and Siemens VDO Automotive (in-car radio navigation system architecture and real-time embedded middleware).

I am a member of the CHESS innovation and iTECH teams and I was involved in the BODERC research project at the Embedded Systems Institute. This project is aimed at developing and improving multi-disciplinary design methodologies for real-time and distributed embedded systems. I obtained my doctoral degree, at the Radboud University Nijmegen, on the work performed in this project. My promotor was prof. dr. Frits Vaandrager and my co-promotor and thesis supervisor was prof. dr. Jozef Hooman.

Current research interest include model-based design and wireless sensor networks. I am currently involved in the Quasimodo Seventh Framework EU project on quantitative analysis of embedded systems (awarded in call 1, runs from 2009-2011). I also participate in and contribute to the Overture open-source formal methods tools project. Starting from 2010, I will be involved in the DESTECS FP7 project (awarded in call 4, runs from 2010-2012). See also this on-line article (in Dutch).


Refereed Academic Conference and Journal Publications


  • Broenink, Larsen, Verhoef, Kleijn, Jovanovic, Pierce. Design Support and Tooling for Dependable Embedded Control Software, SERENE 2010. Download the paper.
  • Peter Gorm Larsen, Nick Battle, Miguel Ferreira, John Fitzgerald, Kenneth Lausdahl, Marcel Verhoef, The Overture initiative integrating tools for VDM, ACM Sigsoft, Software Engineering Notes, Volume 35, Issue 1 (January 2010).
  • Jozef Hooman, Marcel Verhoef. Formal Semantics of a VDM Extension for Distributed Embedded Systems, D. Dams and U. Hannemann and M. Steffen (eds): W.P. de Roever Festschrift, LNCS 5930, pp 142-161, 2010. Download the paper.
  • Marcel Verhoef. Modeling and Validating Distributed Embedded Real-Time Systems, PhdThesis, Radboud University Nijmegen, 21 January 2009.
  • John Fitzgerald, Peter Gorm Larsen, Simon Tjell, Marcel Verhoef. Validation Support for Distributed Real-Time Embedded Systems in VDM++. 10th IEEE High Assurance Systems Engineering Symposium, HASE 2007. pages 331-340. Download the paper.
  • Marcel Verhoef, Peter Visser, Jozef Hooman, Jan Broenink. Co-simulation of Real-time Embedded Control Systems, LNCS 4591, Integrated Formal Methods IFM 2007, pp. 639-658, 2007. Download the presentation. Download the paper.
  • Zoe Andrews, John Fitzgerald, Marcel Verhoef. Resilience Modelling Through Discrete Event and Continuous Time Co-Simulation, DSN Fast Abstract. Accepted for the 37th Annual IEEE/IFIP International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks (July 2007).
  • Peter van den Bosch, Gerrit Muller, Marcel Verhoef, Oana Florescu. Modeling of hardware software performance of high-tech systems. Accepted for the 2007 INCOSE annual symposium. Download the paper. July 2007.
  • Marcel Verhoef, Peter Gorm Larsen. Interpreting Distributed System Architectures Using VDM++ - A Case Study. Accepted for the fifth Conference on System Engineering Research CSER (March 2007). Download the paper and the presentation.
  • Oana Florescu, Jeroen Voeten, Marcel Verhoef, Henk Corporaal. Reusing Real-Time Systems Design Experience Through Modelling Patterns. Appeared in: Forum on specification and Design Languages (FDL). ECSI, 2006. Received best paper award. Download the paper.
  • Marcel Verhoef, Peter Gorm Larsen, Jozef Hooman. Modeling and Validating Distributed Embedded Real-Time Systems with VDM++. Appeared in: FM 2006: Formal Methods. Lecture Notes in Computer Science 4085, pp 147-162, Springer, 2006. Download the paper. Download the presentation.
  • Martijn Hendriks, Marcel Verhoef. Timed Automata Based Analysis of Embedded Systems Architectures. Appeared in: Workshop on Parallel and Distributed Real-Time Systems (WPDRTS). IEEE, 2006. Download the published paper or download as technical report ICIS-R06003. Download the presentation.
  • Heico Sandee, Maurice Heemels, Gerrit Muller, Peter van den Bosch, Marcel Verhoef. Threads of Reasoning: A Case Study in Printer Control. Appeared in: Systems Engineering: Shining Light on Though Issues. 16th Annual International INCOSE Symposium. 2006. Download the paper.
  • Ernesto Wandeler, Lothar Thiele, Marcel Verhoef, Paul Lieverse. System Architecture Evaluation using Modular Performance Analysis: a Case Study. Appeared in International Journal of Software Tools for Technology Transfer (STTT). Special Section on Quantitative Analysis of Real-Time Embedded Systems. Volume 8, No 6, pp 649-667, Springer, 2006. Download the paper. This paper was originally accepted for the 1st International Symposium On Leveraging Applications of formal methods (ISOLA'04). The paper was revised for the STTT journal special issue. Download the presentation given at the Bits & Chips 2005 Embedded Conference. The MPA toolkit, developed by ETH Zurich, is available here.
  • Have a look at my entry in the DBLP Computer Science bibliography database.


To Appear


  • John Fitzgerald, Peter Gorm Larsen, Ken Pierce, Marcel Verhoef and Sune Wolff. Collaborative Modelling and Co-simulation in the Development of Dependable Embedded Systems. Invited talk (by John Fitzgerald) at IFM 2010.


Books and book chapters



Other Publications, Talks and Presentations


  • Marcel Verhoef, Are Formal Methods the Right Tool for Developing Real-time Distributed Embedded Systems?, Invited talk at Formal Methods for Predictable Embedded Systems, European Microsoft Innovation Center, Aachen, Germany, April 2010. Download the presentation.
  • Marcel Verhoef, Peter Gorm Larsen. Predicable Development of Reliable Embedded Systems. Invited lecture at IMTECH Technical Systems and the IPA Research school Lentedagen 2008. Download the presentation.
  • Marcel Verhoef. Modelling and Analysis of Distributed Embedded Real-time Systems using VDM++ and VDMTools. Invited lecture at CSK VDM seminar, Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan, July 2007. Download the annotated presentation.
  • Marcel Verhoef. How To Build Embedded Systems Successfully. Invited lecture for the Embedded Motion Control course at Technical University of Eindhoven, Department of Mechanical Engineering. May 2007, April 2006. Download the presentation.
  • Marcel Verhoef, Beyond the Ordinary: Analysis of Distributed Embedded Real-Time Systems. Presentation given at the BODERC final symposium. 20 December 2006.
  • Tiziana Margaria, Bernhard Schatz, Marcel Verhoef. Formal Methods Going Mainstream: Cost, Benefits and Experiences. Report on the ForTIA Industry Day at FM'05. Appeared in: BCS-FACS Facts, Issue 2006-2, pp 34-38, ISSN 0950-1231, September, 2006. Download the newsletter.
  • Marcel Verhoef, Peter Visser. Hybrid Systems Modeling in VDM. Second Overture Workshop at FM'06. August 2006. Download the presentation.
  • Marcel Verhoef. Comparing Performance Analysis Methods on an Industrial Case Study. Invited talk for the System Architecture Study Group. April 2006. Download the presentation.
  • Marcel Verhoef. On the use of VDM++ for Specifying Real-time Systems. First Overture Workshop at FM'05. Newcastle University, CS-TR-969, pp 26-43, June 2006. Download the proceedings. Download the presentation. Presentation was first given in July 2005.


Some of my other activities


Have a look at my running page (in Dutch). I have participated in the ROPARUN 2009, being part of Team 175. We completed the Paris to Rotterdam relay run (540 km) in just over 43 hours and collected 40000 Euro for the ROPARUN cancer charity. In 2009 and 2010 I completed the Rotterdam Marathon and in 2010 I hope to complete the New York City Marathon.