The members of IFIP Working Group 10.4 (Dependable Computing and Fault Tolerance) have paid tribute to long-time member, Gilles Muller, who passed away on 17 November 2021, after a three-year battle with cancer. 

Gilles earned his PhD in 1988 from the University of Rennes 1 in France. He joined INRIA, holding a range of different roles until 2002 when he became a professor at the École des Mines at Nantes. In 2009, he became a Directeur de Recherche at INRIA in Paris.

Gilles’s area of research was in systems in general with a style that combined strong fundamental theory with practical implementation. 

His work demonstrated that the reliability and safety of operating systems need not be compromised for the sake of performance—that is, good performance can be obtained through principled software engineering and the use of safe programming languages. He published extensively in high-quality conferences in the systems area, including 10 papers over the last 12 years at the IEEE/IFIP International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks (DSN), the flagship conference of IFIP WG 10.4. 

Gilles was an active member of the working group and donated his time and energy generously to the research community. WG 10.4 members have fond memories of his service as the technical program chair for the 2018 edition of DSN.

Gilles was a great colleague and a friend. The following is a selection of the reactions of the members to the sad news:

  • “Gilles always gave me the impression of serenity and thoughtfulness. He was a music lover too; what a great loss for our community”
  • “He always enjoyed sharing scientific exchanges and discussions combined with moments of conviviality and friendship. We will miss him”
  • “Gilles was a fantastic person, generous, and always committed to his work. He made great research contributions to our community, both in scientific and human aspects”
  • “He always made me feel welcome, and with his Amitiés e-mail signature, even a bit special”
  • “Gilles welcomed me to the community since I was a student, always supportive and encouraging”
  • “He published in the best conferences and chaired the committees of many of them. He was a top researcher. Yet, he was remarkably low-key and humble, the marks of a true scholar and a gentleman.”
  • “Gilles came across as excellent in his work, somewhat understated, which indeed made me think ‘here is someone who knows. He will be missed”
  • “I had the privilege to interact with Gilles on many occasions. As I remember it, his paper reviews were always meticulous, to the point, and well balanced. I will miss him.”

And from all of us, the members of WG 10.4 who had the privilege and joy of interacting with you over all these years: “Farewell”.