Abstract:

This talk is a gentle introduction to higher-order bialgebraic
denotational semantics in three parts. In the first act, I will argue
for the need of a metatheory for the study of the semantics of
programming languages, and observe how GSOS specifications offer a
partial answer to our questions. In the second act, I will introduce
the audience to the theory of algebras and coalgebras in category
theory. These will offer us the language to grasp *abstract* GSOS, a
more general metatheory of programming language semantics. In the last
act, I will show how (part of) abstract GSOS can be generalised to also
support higher-order languages, with a particular focus on our
contributions in denotational semantics. If time permits, I will
provide examples.