Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Tel Aviv, Israel

As CTO and Co-Founder at Obrecsys, I designed, developed, and launched Kampfire, a scalable SaaS platform that redefines user post-event engagement in the event-tech industry. From concept to a fully functional product with paying users, I led every phase of the product lifecycle, refining it to ensure seamless performance, scalability, and product-market fit. By leveraging event photos, Kampfire increases Email Click-Through Rate (CTR) to more than 40%, significantly enhancing user engagement and driving post-event interaction.By adopting a serverless architecture on AWS, I reduced development resource expenses by 90%, eliminated server management overhead, and ensured effortless scalability for future growth. Additionally, I implemented an API that allows Event Management Software (EMS) to embed Kampfire, scaling user acquisition through partnerships. I led the continuous delivery of product updates, ensuring they were on time, within scope, and budget, while aligning development, marketing, and sales teams for successful launches. My data-driven approach and use of analytics enhance user experience and product efficacy.Leading a global team across Israel, Nepal, and Poland, I utilized agile methodologies to foster collaboration, improve developer skills, and ensure delivery of secure, high-quality code. My hands-on leadership improved code quality, reduced bugs, and enabled the team to exceed development targets while driving innovation. I also engaged in backend programming and key algorithm implementations to accelerate development timelines.With a focus on excellence, I ensured that our platform adhered to GDPR, CCPA, and SOC2 compliance, while mitigating risks through rigorous QA and cybersecurity practices. My leadership fosters a culture of innovation and execution, accelerating product delivery and driving sustained market success.

Tel Aviv, Israel

During my time at Keylockit, I led a transformative shift in the company's product line, moving from entirely mechanical solutions to modern, software-driven offerings with IoT integration. Before I joined, Keylockit’s product—a compact electronic indicator for keys that indicates a door's lock status—was fully mechanical, without IoT capabilities or a supporting application. I spearheaded the transition, bringing in advanced microelectronics and AWS cloud services to modernize the product.As a technical lead, I took charge of developing both the cloud service applications and consumer electronics products that powered our new IoT-enabled solutions. I designed and implemented a supporting application specifically tailored for IoT purposes, providing users with seamless control and interaction with our products. This shift from mechanical to digital not only modernized Keylockit’s offerings but also unlocked new possibilities for user engagement and product functionality.Throughout the transformation, I ensured the integration of cutting-edge microelectronics technologies and AWS services to elevate our product portfolio. By leveraging AWS cloud services, we enhanced the scalability, performance, and reliability of our products, enabling real-time connectivity and data processing for IoT devices. This combination of microelectronics and the cloud redefined Keylockit’s trajectory, pushing the company toward a future of innovation and growth.In addition to leading the technical transformation, I mentored and guided the team, fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation. This ensured that everyone was well-equipped to handle the challenges of integrating IoT and cloud-based technologies into traditionally mechanical products.

As a lead developer, I spearheaded the development of PlayRock, a cloud-based platform designed for multiplayer location-based games on Android devices. Leveraging AWS cloud services, we built a platform that enabled users to create real-time virtual gaming spaces, transforming how individuals engage with multiplayer location-based games.We also developed an API that allowed third-party game developers to embed their games on top of PlayRock’s framework, turning them into real multiplayer experiences. This initiative laid the groundwork for future growth by fostering partnerships with third-party developers and creating a marketplace where these games could be showcased, driving platform expansion.In addition, we executed POCs to evaluate new technologies and design concepts, driving continuous innovation throughout the development process. This approach allowed us to integrate cutting-edge solutions and advance the platform’s capabilities.Throughout this journey, I led the design and development of the innovative cloud-based gaming framework and focused on frontend development for Android devices. This comprehensive approach ensured a seamless user experience and positioned the platform for future growth as a dynamic space for multiplayer location-based gaming.

During my tenure as a Research Staff Member at IBM Research Haifa, I played a key role in the formal verification group, contributing to the advancement of the RuleBase PE verification platform. RuleBase PE was designed to improve the verification of complex chip designs by leveraging model checking and parallel computing, streamlining the process for engineers. My primary contribution was the development of a new SAT-based engine, reducing verification runtime by 40%, significantly enhancing the efficiency of hardware verification.I focused on designing and implementing the SAT engine in C++, where my optimization efforts were crucial in reducing runtime and improving system performance. This work not only sped up verification but also enabled the platform to handle more complex designs and workloads, providing engineers a powerful tool for their needs.In addition to my development work, I mentored junior team members, guiding them in the research and development of formal verification best practices. This mentorship helped the team apply cutting-edge formal methods to real-world problems, advancing the group’s expertise. I worked closely with team members to foster a collaborative research environment that accelerated innovation.I was also actively involved in research on model checking, satisfiability solving, and distributed systems, contributing to multiple projects and co-authoring several papers during this period.My role required collaboration with cross-functional teams, including hardware engineers and system architects, to ensure that our verification solutions met the demands of industry applications. By bridging the gap between research and implementation, I helped align formal verification advancements with IBM’s product needs, contributing to their reliability and performance.

Murray Hill, New Jersey

During my internship at Lucent-Alcatel Bell Labs, I made significant contributions to advancing program analysis methodologies, particularly in the realm of static analysis for concurrent programs. One of my key contributions was extending the capabilities of the static analyzer Orion to include automated validation methods for concurrent programs (developed in OCaml). This enhancement enabled more robust global analysis, offering deeper insights into system behavior and improving the accuracy of software verification.I worked extensively on developing innovative methodologies to ensure the global safety properties of asynchronous multi-process programs. These efforts were grounded in local reasoning principles, which allowed for scalable and precise verification of complex systems. My work involved devising fully automated methods for validating termination and linear-time temporal properties within concurrent programs, ensuring that critical safety and liveness properties were preserved across multiple execution paths.In addition to my technical contributions, I collaborated closely with other researchers to explore and push the boundaries of program analysis. Our collective work led to the publication of six research papers, highlighting significant advancements in static analysis, concurrency, and formal verification. These papers contributed to the growing body of knowledge in the field and showcased our innovative approaches to program validation and verification.Throughout my time at Lucent-Alcatel Bell Labs, I gained valuable experience working in a research-driven environment where I collaborated with leading experts in program analysis. My work not only advanced the capabilities of Orion but also demonstrated my ability to tackle complex verification challenges and contribute meaningfully to the academic and research community.

Ph.D., Computer Science

Verification of Transactional Memories and Recursive Programs

M.S., Computer Science

Combined CPV-TLV Security Protocol Verifier

B.A., Mathematics With Computer Science