Amir Shaikhha

Amir Shaikhha

Full Professor

Amir Shaikhha

Amir Shaikhha is a Full Professor (W3) at TU Darmstadt and Hessian.AI. His research focuses on the design and implementation of AI and data-analytics systems by using techniques from the databases, programming languages, compilers, and machine learning communities. He was a Departmental Lecturer at the University of Oxford (2019-2020) before starting as an Assistant Professor (Lecturer) at the University of Edinburgh (2020-2024) and an Associate Professor (Reader) at the same place (2024-2026). He earned his Ph.D. from EPFL in 2018, for which he was awarded a Google Ph.D. Fellowship in structured data analysis, as well as a Ph.D. thesis distinction award. He has won the Best Paper Award at GPCE 2017, the Most Reproducible Paper Award at SIGMOD 2017, the Most Influential Paper Award at GPCE 2024, Google Research Scholar Award 2025, and Dahl-Nygaard Junior Prize 2025. He (co-)chaired the program committees of GPCE, DBPL, Scala, Sparse, and DRAGSTERS.

Recent News

  • July 2026. I started my position as a Full Professor (W3) at TU Darmstadt.
  • June 2026. Tyql received a distinguished paper award at ECOOP’26.
  • May 2026. AQPHub has been accepted as a demo in VLDB’26.
  • April 2026. Tyql has been accepted to ECOOP’26.
  • March 2026. Meisam was awarded the 3rd place in CGO student research competition.
  • February 2026. Our work on adaptive query processing accepted to ICDE’26.
  • February 2026. Our work on approximate query processing using probablistic programming accepted to SIGMOD’26.
  • January 2026. Honoured to receive a HiPEAC Tech Transfer Award.
  • October 2025. Our Raqlet work has been accepted to CIDR’26.
  • July 2025. I gave a keynote at ECOOP’25.
  • June 2025. I am honoured to receive a Google Research Scholar Award.
  • May 2025. I am honoured to receive this year’s Dahl-Nygaard Junior Prize.
  • April 2025. I will co-organize (together with Saman, Fred, and Gilbert) and give a talk in Sparse@PLDI’25.
  • March 2025. Our paper on Slotted E-Graphs together with Michel’s group, Thomas, and Andres has been accepted to PLDI’25.
  • February 2025. Our work on DASTAC has been accepted to OOPSLA’25.
  • January 2025. Torsten Grust and I are organizing DBPL 2025. Consider submitting a paper.
  • January 2025. I have been invited as a keynote speaker in ARRAY@PLDI’25.
  • Novemeber 2024. Our paper on program synthesis for quantum simulation accepted to CGO 2025.
  • September 2024. We have received the Most Influential Paper Award in GPCE 2024.

Publications

You can find my articles on my Google Scholar profile.

2026
Raqlet: Cross-Paradigm Compilation for Recursive Queries
CIDR
A. Shaikhha, Y. Xia, M. Tarabkhah, J. Saleem, A. Herlihy
2025
Slotted E-Graphs - First-Class Support for (Bound) Variables in E-Graphs
PLDI
R. Schneider, M. Rossel, A. Shaikhha, A. Goens, T. Koehler, M. Steuwer
Compressed and Parallelized Structured Tensor Algebra
OOPSLA
M. Ghorbani, E. Bauer, T. Grosser, A. Shaikhha
Synthesis of Quantum Simulators by Compilation
CGO
M. Tarabkhah, M. Delavar, M. Doosti, A. Shaikhha
A Unified Architecture for Efficient Binary and Worst-Case Optimal Join Processing (Technical Report)
ArXiV
A. Kaboli, A. Mascolo, A. Shaikhha
2024
Optimizing Nested Recursive Queries
SIGMOD
A. Shaikhha, D. Suciu, M. Schleich, H. Ngo
Structured Tensor Algebra for Efficient Discrete Probabilistic Inference
LAFI
A. Shaikhha
PyTond: Efficient Python Data Science on the Shoulders of Databases
ICDE
H. Shahrokhi, A. Kaboli, M. Ghorbani, A. Shaikhha
Restaging Domain-Specific Languages: A Flexible Design Pattern for Rapid Development of Optimizing Compilers
GPCE
A. Shaikhha
A Tensor Algebra Compiler for Sparse Differentiation
CGO
A. Shaikhha, M. Huot, S. Hashemian
2023
Demonstration of OpenDBML, a Framework for Democratizing In-Database Machine Learning (Demo)
VLDB
M. Ghorbani, A. Shaikhha
Efficient Query Processing in Python Using Compilation (Demo)
SIGMOD
H. Shahrokhi, C. Groeger, Y. Yang, A. Shaikhha
Optimizing Tensor Programs on Flexible Storage
SIGMOD
M. Schleich, A. Shaikhha, D. Suciu
Compiling Structured Tensor Algebra
OOPSLA
M. Ghorbani, M. Huot, S. Hashemian, A. Shaikhha
An Efficient Vectorized Hash Table for Batch Computations
ECOOP
H. Shahrokhi, A. Shaikhha
Fine-Tuning Data Structures for Query Processing
CGO
A. Shaikhha, M. Kelepeshis, M. Ghorbani
Building a Compiled Query Engine in Python
CC
H. Shahrokhi, A. Shaikhha
Compiling Discrete Probabilistic Programs for Vectorized Exact Inference
CC
J. Pan, A. Shaikhha
2022
Functional Collection Programming with Semi-ring Dictionaries
OOPSLA
A. Shaikhha, M. Huot, J. Smith, D. Olteanu
Deep Fusion for Efficient Nested Recursive Computations
GPCE
A. Shaikhha
Hinted Dictionaries: Efficient Functional Ordered Sets and Maps
ECOOP
A. Shaikhha, M. Ghorbani, H. Shahrokhi
Denotationally Correct, Purely Functional, Efficient Reverse-mode Automatic Differentiation
ArXiV
A. Shaikhha, M. Huot
Efficient and Sound Differentiable Programming in a Functional Array-Processing Language
ArXiV
A. Shaikhha, M. Huot, S. Ghasemirad, A. Fitzgibbon, S. Peyton Jones, D. Vytiniotis
2021
An Intermediate Representation for Hybrid Database and Machine Learning Workloads (Demo)
VLDB
A. Shaikhha, M. Schleich, D. Olteanu
Scalable Querying of Nested Data
VLDB
J. Smith, M. Benedikt, M. Nikolic, A. Shaikhha
2020
Synthesis of Incremental Linear Algebra Programs
TODS
A. Shaikhha, M. El Seidy, D. Espino, S. Mihaila, C. Koch
Multi-Stage Programming in the Large with Staged Classes
GPCE
L. Parreaux, A. Shaikhha
Multi-Layer Optimizations for End-to-End Data Analytics
CGO
A. Shaikhha, M. Schleich, A. Ghita, D. Olteanu
BayesCard: Revitilizing Bayesian Frameworks for Cardinality Estimation (Technical Report)
ArXiV
Z. Wu, A. Shaikhha, Rong Zhu, Kai Zeng, Yuxing Han, Jingren Zhou
2019
Efficient Differentiable Programming in a Functional Array-Processing Language
ICFP
A. Shaikhha, A. Fitzgibbon, S. Peyton-Jones, D. Vytiniotis
Compiler Generation for Performance-Oriented Embedded DSLs (Short Paper)
GPCE
A. Shaikhha, V. Jovanovic, C. Koch
Polymorphic Extractors for Semantic and Portable Pattern Matching (Short Paper)
GPCE
A. Shaikhha
Finally, a Polymorphic Linear Algebra Language
ECOOP
A. Shaikhha, L. Parreaux
2018
Building Efficient Query Engines in a High-Level Language
TODS
A. Shaikhha, Y. Klonatos, C. Koch
Unifying Analytic and Statically-Typed Quasiquotes
POPL
L. Parreaux, A. Voizard, A. Shaikhha, C. Koch
Push vs. Pull-Based Loop Fusion in Query Engines
JFP
A. Shaikhha, M. Dashti, C. Koch
Compiling Database Application Programs
ArXiV
M. Dashti, S. John, T. Coppey, A. Shaikhha, V. Jovanovic, C. Koch
2017
Squid: type-safe, hygienic, and reusable quasiquotes
Scala
L. Parreaux, A. Shaikhha, C. Koch
Repairing Transaction Conflicts in Optimistic Multi-Version Concurrency Control (Most Reproducible Paper Award)
SIGMOD
M. Dashti, S. John, A. Shaikhha, C. Koch
Quoted Staged Rewriting: a Practical Approach to Library-Defined Optimizations (Best Paper Award)
GPCE
L. Parreaux, A. Shaikhha, and C. Koch
Destination-passing style for efficient memory management
FHPC
A. Shaikhha, A. Fitzgibbon, S. Peyton-Jones, D. Vytiniotis
2016
How to Architect a Query Compiler
SIGMOD
A. Shaikhha, Y. Klonatos, L. Parreaux, L. Brown, M. Dashti, C. Koch
2014
DBToaster: Higher-order Delta Processing for Dynamic, Frequently Fresh Views
VLDBJ
C. Koch, Y. Ahmad, O. Kennedy, M. Nikolic, A. Noetzli, D. Lupei, A. Shaikhha
Yin-Yang: Concealing the Deep Embedding of DSLs
GPCE
V. Jovanovic, A. Shaikhha, S. Stucki, V. Nikolaev, C. Koch, M. Odersky

Awards

  • Distinguished paper award, ECOOP 2026.
  • HiPEAC Tech Transfer Award, 2026.
  • [Student Award] 3rd place in the graduate category in student research competition, CGO 2026.
  • Dahl-Nygaard Junior Prize, 2025.
  • Google Research Scholar Award, 2025.
  • Program Committee Honorable Mention, EDBT 2025.
  • Most Influential Paper Award, GPCE 2024.
  • Outstanding Reviewer Award, ICDE 2024.
  • [Student Award] 1st place in both undergraduate and graduate categories in student research competition, CGO 2024.
  • [Student Award] Computer Science MSc Dissertation Prize, Edinburgh, 2023.
  • Best Reviewer Award, SIGMOD 2023.
  • Nominated for Best Supervisor of the Year, University of Edinburgh, 2022.
  • Ph.D. Thesis Distinction Award, EPFL, 2018.
  • Service Award, IC EPFL, 2018.
  • Best Paper Award, GPCE 2017.
  • Most Reproducible Paper Award, SIGMOD 2017.
  • Google Ph.D. Fellowship, 2017.
  • Teaching Assistant Award, IC EPFL, 2016.

Service

  • Chairing: Sparse’25,’24 (Co-Chair), GPCE’25 (General Co-Chair), DBPL’25,’21 (Co-Chair), GPCE’23 (PC Chair), DRAGSTERS’23 (Co-Chair), Scala’22 (PC Chair).
  • Organization: SIGMOD’26 (AE), OOPSLA’26, VLDB’27,’26,’25,’23 (PC), ECOOP’26, SIGMOD’27,’25,’23 (PC), EDBT’25 (PC), VLDB’25 (Publicity Co-Chair), CGO’24 (Finance Chair), GPCE’24,’22 (PC), ICDE’24 (PC), APLAS’24 (PC), TFP’22 (PC), DBAI’21 (PC), BICOD’21 (PC), ASPLOS’20 (ERC), DBPL’19 (PC).
  • Reviewer: TOPLAS 2025, TACO 2024, VLDBJ 2024, TOMS 2024, TKDE 2023, TODS 2023, TODS 2021, VLDBJ 2020, TODS 2018.
  • PhD Students’ Representative: IC EPFL, 2017-2018.
  • Member of EPIC PhD Student Association: IC EPFL, 2017.

Recent Collaborators

Ziawasch Abedjan (TU Berlin), Anastasia Ailamaki (EPFL), Matthias Boehm (TU Berlin), Andrés Goens (University of Amsterdam), Tobias Grosser (University of Cambridge), Anna Herlihy (EPFL), Mathieu Huot (MIT), Thomas Koehler (CNRS), Hung Ngo (RelationalAI), Martin Odersky (EPFL), Dan Olteanu (UZH), Babak Salimi (UCSD), Michel Steuwer (TU Berlin), Dan Suciu (University of Washington).

Positions

I have open postdoc and Ph.D. positions in AI systems.

  • Postdoc position: if you have a Ph.D. in an area related to AI systems, compilers, databases, formal methods, or programming languages, please get in touch with me.
  • Ph.D. position: If you have strong background in database systems and/or compilers, AND have a master’s degree, please get in touch with me.