Mathai Joseph's main research interest is in the area of formal methods related to computer systems, including real-time systems. His most cited paper, "Finding Response Times in a Real-Time System", with over 1,500 citations on Google Scholar in 2021,[7] was joint work with Paritosh Pandya, published in The Computer Journal in 1986.[8] This paper won a 2020 Test-of-Time Award, announced at the 27th IEEE Real-Time and Embedded Technology and Applications Symposium (RTAS 2021).[1]
Joseph's joint work with Zhiming Liu on fault tolerance gives a formal model that precisely defines the notions of fault, error, failure and fault-tolerance, and their relationships. It also provided the properties that models fault-affected programs and fault-tolerant programs in terms of transformations. Together, they proposed a design process for fault-tolerant systems from requirement specifications and analysis, fault environment identification and analysis, specification of fault-affected design and verification of fault-tolerance for satisfaction of the requirements specification.[9][10]
Joseph is the author of Digital Republic, a personal reminiscence that also charts the development of Information Technology in India and the issues involved.[5][11][12] He is interested in improving science in India.[13]
Joseph, Mathai, ed. (1988). Formal Techniques in Real-Time and Fault-Tolerant Systems, Proceedings of a Symposium, Warwick, UK, September 22–23, 1988. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 331. Springer-Verlag. ISBN978-3-540-50302-6.