Ratul Mahajan <ratul [at] ratul [dot] org> @ratulm

Recent projects [some past projects]

• Network verification
• Optical networking

Recent papers [Complete list | Organized by topic | Google Scholar ]

• A General Approach to Network Configuration Verification
  Ryan Beckett, Aarti Gupta, Ratul Mahajan, David Walker
  SIGCOMM, 2017
• Understanding and Mitigating Packet Corruption in Data Center Networks
  Danyang Zhuo, Monia Ghobadi, Ratul Mahajan, Klaus-Tycho Förster, Arvind Krishnamurthy, Thomas Anderson
  SIGCOMM, 2017
• Network Configuration Synthesis With Abstract Topologies
  Ryan Beckett, Ratul Mahajan, Jitu Padhye, Todd Millstein, David Walker
  PLDI, 2017
• RAIL: A case for redundant arrays of inexpensive links in data center networks
  Danyang Zhuo, Monia Ghobadi, Ratul Mahajan, Amar Phanishayee, Xuan Kelvin Zou, Hang Guan, Arvind Krishnamurthy, Thomas Anderson
  NSDI, 2017
• Optical Layer Failures in a Large Backbone
  Monia Ghobadi, Ratul Mahajan
  IMC, 2016
  Best Dataset Award
• Efficient Network Reachability Analysis using a Succinct Control Plane Representation
  Seyed K. Fayaz, Tushar Sharma, Ari Fogel, Ratul Mahajan, Todd Millstein, Vyas Sekar, George Varghese
  OSDI, 2016
• ddNF: An Efficient Data Structure for Header Spaces
  Nikolaj Bjorner, Garvit Juniwal, Ratul Mahajan, Sanjit A. Seshia, and George Varghese
  Haifa Verification Conference (HVC), 2016
  Best Paper Award
• Don't Mind the Gap: Bridging Network-wide Objectives and Device-level Configurations
  Ryan Beckett, Ratul Mahajan, Jitu Padhye, Todd Millstein, David Walker
  SIGCOMM, 2016
  Best Paper Award
• ProjecToR: Agile Reconfigurable Datacenter Interconnect
  Monia Ghobadi, Ratul Mahajan, Amar Phanishayee, Houman Rastegarfar, Pierre-Alexandre Blanche, Madeleine Glick, Daniel Kilper, Janardhan Kulkarni, Gireeja Ranade, Nikhil Devanur
  SIGCOMM, 2016
• Fast Control Plane Analysis Using an Abstract Representation
  Aaron Gember-Jacobson, Raajay Viswanathan, Aditya Akella and Ratul Mahajan
  SIGCOMM, 2016

Select talks [More talks]

• Network programming for the cloud ERA
  Keynote at ACM SOSR 2017
  
• Maslow's hierarchy of network programming and the unmet needs
  Keynote at Center for Network Programming Retreat, Jun 2016
  
• Bridging centralized programming and distributed control planes [Watch]
  NSF Algorithms in the Field Workshop, Jun 2016
  
• Configuration verification: A missing link toward fully verified networks
  Dagstuhl seminar on Formal Foundations of Networking, Feb 2015
  
• Software-defined networking: Change is hard [Watch]
  Stanford, May 2014
• Software-driven wide area network
  Distinguished Lecture Series, UCSD, Nov 2013
• Accelerating innovation in home technology
  Keynote at HUPS, July 2013

Teaching

• CSE 481M: Home Networking Capstone, Spring 2011
• CSEP 561: Network Systems, Fall 2008

Professional activities

• PC chair: NSDI 2014, IMC 2012, MobiArch 2011, HotNets 2009 , NetEcon+IBC 2007
• PC member:
  • 2017: NSDI, SIGCOMM
  • 2016: NSDI, SIGCOMM, HotNets,
  • 2015: ICDCS, IMC, HotNets, SOSR, C2BID
  • 2014: NSDI, SIGCOMM, CoNext, SoCC, UPSIDE, ONS,
  • 2013: NSDI, HotNets,
  • 2012: SIGCOMM, IMC,
  • 2011: SIGCOMM, NSDI, IMC, MobiArch HomeNets,
  • 2010: SIGMETRICS, IMC, CoNext, HotNets, HomeNets, MobiArch
  • 2009: SIGCOMM, IMC, ICNP, HotNets-VIII , COMSNETS, NetEcon, NetDB, HotAC, WinMee
  • 2008: SIGCOMM, INFOCOM, NetEcon, ROADS, Global Internet
  • 2007: PAM, NetEcon, SIGCOMM posters
  • 2006: SIGCOMM, HotNets-V, NetEcon
• Steering committee IMC [2014-present]
• Workshops Chair: SIGCOMM 2013
• Associate editor: IEEE/ACM ToN [2012-2014]
• Organizer: UW MSR Summer Institute 2009 on "Unraveling the technological knot in homes"
• Area editor: MC2R [2008-2011]
• Local chair: SIGCOMM 2008

Selected press coverage

• Marrying 3G with WiFi makes sense [Business Standard]
• Researchers test WiFi access from moving vehicles [Slashdot]
• Tuning Smartphone Performance [MSR]
• Microsoft Wiffler lets smartphones use free WiFi from moving vehicles [Network World]
• Improving phones through surveillance [Technology Review]
• Microsoft's HomeStore: Home automation, with an iPhone-inspired twist [ZDNet]
• Using Wi-Fi to Boost 3G Capacity [MSR]
• Software Notebook: Microsoft test-driving Wi-Fi use in vehicles [Seattle PI]
• Plan rolling to improve vehicle-based Wi-Fi nets [Network World]
• Prepare for truly mobile WiFi [Discover Magazine]

Bio
Ratul Mahajan is a Co-founder and CEO of Intentionet, a company that is enabling safe, rapid evolution of computer networks using formal analysis and high-level design approaches. Prior to that, he was a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research. He got his PhD at the University of Washington and B.Tech at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, both in Computer Science and Engineering.

Ratul is a computer systems researcher with a networking focus and has worked on a broad set of topics, including network verification, connected homes, network programming, optical networks, Internet routing and measurements, and mobile systems. He has published over fifty papers in top venues such as SIGCOMM, SOSP, MobiCom, CHI, and PLDI, and many of the technologies that he has helped develop are part of real-world systems at Microsoft and other companies.

Ratul has been recognized as an ACM Distinguished Scientist, an ACM SIGCOMM Rising Star, and a Microsoft Research Graduate Fellow. His papers have won the ACM SIGCOMM Test-of-Time Award, the IEEE William R. Bennett Prize, the ACM SIGCOMM Best Paper Awards (twice), and the HVC Best Paper Award.