At APLAS, I presented a paper which resulted from my bachelor’s project. This is my first publication and first conference talk. I intend to pursue a PhD in programming languages theory, so presenting at an international conference is very good preparation for my research career. The talk was received well, which significantly increased my confidence. I had the opportunity to discuss my work, and possible extensions, with other researchers from outside my university.

The topics covered in the conference were fairly broad so I had the chance to learn about areas of programming languages theory that I haven’t explored before, such as gradual typing, or relational verification of higher-order probabilistic programs. Also, participating in the conference allowed me to network with researchers with whom I might collaborate in the future.