PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Zohar Manna

Also known as Z Manna, Z. Manna, זהר מנה

Zohar Manna was a computer scientist whose work on program synthesis and formal verification helped form foundations for AI and reliable software. He earned degrees at Technion and Carnegie Mellon, then held faculty posts at Weizmann and Stanford. His 1974 book, The Mathematical Theory of Computation, explained the mathematics behind programming, and with Amir Pnueli he wrote a 1995 textbook volume on temporal logic and verification of reactive systems. At Stanford, his research included STeP, a system for formal verification of reactive, real-time, and hybrid systems. Manna shared the 2016 Herbrand Award with Richard Waldinger and died in 2018.

Works
374
Citations
21,842
h-index
69
Rankings
#47 by first-author papers
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 18 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1939–1968

    From Haifa to Carnegie Mellon

    Born in Haifa in 1939, he earns undergraduate and master’s degrees at Technion. In 1968, he completes a computer science PhD at Carnegie Mellon.

  2. 1972–1974

    A professor and textbook author

    He becomes a professor of applied mathematics at Weizmann in 1972. His 1974 book, The Mathematical Theory of Computation, explains the mathematics behind programming.

  3. 1975–1995

    Returning to Stanford

    Recruited back to Stanford in 1975, he becomes a full professor in 1978 and divides his time between Stanford and Weizmann until resigning the Weizmann appointment in 1995.

  4. 1995

    A safety volume on reactive systems

    With Amir Pnueli, he publishes a 1995 safety volume in their textbook series on temporal logic and verification of reactive systems.

  5. 1996

    STeP for formal verification

    His work on program synthesis and formal proof helps form theoretical foundations for AI and reliable software. STeP supports formal verification of reactive, real-time, and hybrid systems. Its educational version is used by groups around the world, and a new release is scheduled for November 1996.

  6. 2010

    Retiring from Stanford

    He retires from Stanford in 2010.

  7. 2016

    A Herbrand Award

    In 2016, he and Richard Waldinger share the Herbrand Award for contributions to automated reasoning, program synthesis, planning, and formal methods.

  8. 2018

    Death in Netanya

    He dies at home in Netanya in 2018 at age 79.

A language model matched the links in this timeline to people, organizations and papers (provisional, model-judged).

Career

  1. 1972–2006Weizmann Institute of ScienceProfessor of applied mathematics
  2. 1969–2010Stanford UniversityProfessor; full professor from 1978
  3. 1969–1970Carnegie Mellon University

Education

  1. 1968Carnegie Mellon UniversityPhD in computer science
  2. TechnionUndergraduate degree

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. The Temporal Logic of Reactive and Concurrent Systems1992 · Springer eBooks · 2,959 citationsWith Amir Pnueli
  2. The Temporal Logic of Reactive and Concurrent Systems: Specification1991 · 1,355 citationsWith Amir Pnueli
  3. Temporal Verification of Reactive Systems: Safety1995 · Medical Entomology and Zoology · 946 citationsWith Amir Pnueli
  4. Temporal Verification of Reactive Systems1995 · Springer eBooks · 822 citationsWith Amir Pnueli
  5. Mathematical Theory of Computation1972 · 696 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 18 October 2026.

  1. Stanford University trained or employed 27 of the 113 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Stanford University. Stanford University trained or employed 27 of the 113 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and employment links for major-prize and best-paper winners.
  2. Google had the most people shaping AI every year from 2014 to 2025Includes Stanford University. Our estimates of which organizations employed the most people shaping AI from 1962 to 2025, with a year-by-year chart.
  3. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Stanford University. Our estimates of where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led, from education records in cited biographies.
  4. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes Stanford University. Our estimates of combined and median h-index at AI organizations, using current affiliations and OpenAlex records.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Zohar Manna yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Computer science pioneer Zohar Manna dies at age 79 | Stanford University School of Engineering engineering.stanford.edu. Checked 18 October 2026.
  2. Zohar Manna - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 18 October 2026.
  3. Zohar Manna's home page theory.stanford.edu. Checked 18 October 2026.
  4. REACT group 1996 DARPA/ITO Research Project Summary theory.stanford.edu. Checked 18 October 2026.
  5. Herbrand Award cadeinc.org. Checked 18 October 2026.