Usability in Open Source Software Professors and Supervisors

Christoph CsallnerView profile

Professor

University of Texas at ArlingtonUnited States

Christoph Csallner is a Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), where he leads research in software engineering, program analysis, and mobile software development. Prior to joining UTA, he worked at Google and Microsoft Research. He directs the SERC lab (Software Engineering Research Center) and has established himself as a leading researcher in automated bug finding, reverse engineering, and Simulink analysis. University of Texas at Arlington, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering Department SERC Lab Director Former researcher at Google and Microsoft Research Dr. Csallner earned his Diplom-Informatiker degree from Universität Stuttgart, Germany, and both his M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech. His educational background in both European and American institutions has informed his interdisciplinary research approach that bridges theoretical foundations with practical software engineering challenges. Dr. Csallner's research spans multiple areas of software engineering with particular expertise in program analysis, automated bug finding, and mobile software engineering. His work on reverse engineering mobile application user interfaces with REMAUI has been particularly influential in the field. His recent research focuses on Simulink analysis with projects like SLNET, ScoutSL, and EvoSL, which have created foundational datasets and tools for the model-based development community. His work on PSDoodle and D2S2 has advanced mobile app screen search through innovative sketch-based interfaces. His research consistently bridges theoretical program analysis with practical applications for real-world software development challenges. Dr. Csallner's publications demonstrate a consistent pattern of innovation in software testing, analysis, and reverse engineering. His recent work shows a strong focus on mobile application analysis, Simulink model processing, and the application of machine learning techniques to traditional software engineering problems. He has successfully built bridges between formal methods and practical software development tools. Best Paper Award - IEEE ISSRE 2010 ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Awards - ISSTA 2006, 2012 Best Paper Award - PPREW 2014 Best Paper Award - ASE 2007 ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award - ASE 2015 Distinguished Referee Award - ASE 2019 Distinguished Reviewer Award - TOSEM 2011-2012 Dr. Csallner has successfully advised numerous Ph.D. and Master's students who have gone on to prominent positions at companies including Meta, Google DeepMind, BNSF Railway, Bloomberg, and Salesforce. His research has been supported by significant funding from the National Science Foundation, MathWorks, the Alzheimer's Association, and the Texas National Security Network. His work on fake news detection received media coverage from major outlets including the Dallas Morning News, NBC DFW, and WBAP/KLIF. Dr. Csallner directs the Software Engineering Research Center (SERC) lab at UTA, where his team develops innovative tools for software analysis and testing. Notable projects include JCrasher, Check 'n' Crash, DSD-Crasher, Pex/DySy, Dsc, and REMAUI/Pixel to App. His recent work focuses on PSDoodle, TreeVada, ScoutSL, and EvoSL, demonstrating his lab's continued innovation in software engineering research. The SERC lab maintains strong industry connections, particularly with MathWorks, and has produced numerous open-source tools that have influenced both research and practice in software engineering.

Official University Profile

Emy GuilbaultView profile

Researcher

University of HelsinkiFinland

Dr. Emy Guilbault is a current Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Helsinki , affiliated with the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and the Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme . Her research bridges statistical methodology with ecological applications, focusing on species distribution modeling, biodiversity analysis, and ecological data uncertainty. Education: Ph.D. in Statistical Ecology (2021, University of Newcastle); M.Sc. in Advanced Agricultural Science (SupAgro/University of Montpellier); B.Sc. in Agronomy Her research interests center on statistical ecology , particularly in developing methodologies for species distribution modeling and addressing data uncertainty in ecological datasets. Recent work examines macro-moth community responses to climate and habitat changes, with applications in biodiversity conservation. Key publication trends show specialization in ecological informatics , statistical modeling , and conservation biology . She contributes to software development for species distribution modeling while addressing observer bias in ecological datasets. Scientific Awards: JB Douglas Award 2nd place (2019) Guilbault actively participates in academic activities including conference organization (e.g., HMSC Starting guidelines 2025, Viikki Postdoctoral Association 2023) and scientific seminars. Her collaborative network spans Finland, Australia, France, and international institutions.

Official University Profile

Bryan ParnoView profile

Professor

National and Kapodistrian University of AthensGreece

Bryan Parno is the Kavčić-Moura Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, where he leads the Secure Foundations Lab within CyLab, CMU's Security & Privacy Institute. His research combines theory and practice to provide formal, rigorous security guarantees about concrete systems, with emphasis on creating solid foundations for practical solutions. His research spans secure systems , formal software verification , applied cryptography , data privacy , and usable security . Current work focuses on protocols for verifiable computation and zero-knowledge proofs, building practical formally verified secure systems, and developing next-generation application models. His lab maintains a strong commitment to reproducibility, open-sourcing code under permissive licenses, and avoiding patenting results to maximize public benefit. His recent publications demonstrate a clear trend toward practical verification of real-world systems, particularly through the Verus project for verifying Rust code, Everest for building verified HTTPS stacks, and Ironclad for provably secure systems. These works bridge the gap between theoretical security guarantees and practical implementation, with applications ranging from blockchain protocols to verified cryptographic libraries deployed in the Linux kernel. His scientific achievements include multiple Distinguished Paper/Artifact Awards (USENIX Security, SOSP, PLDI), the IEEE Cybersecurity Award for Practice , the Sloan Fellowship , and the ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award . His work on verifiable computation protocols has influenced blockchain systems, while his research on secure code execution environments contributed to Intel's SGX and TDX technologies. As an advisor, Parno has mentored numerous PhD students including Aymeric Fromherz (recipient of the ACM SIGSAC Doctoral Dissertation Award) and Jay Bosamiya. His lab receives funding from diverse sources including NSF, industry partners, and security foundations. Notably, his work has been incorporated into Windows 8+, iOS 13+, and the Linux kernel. He also serves in leadership roles including Chair of IEEE Computer Society's Technical Committee on Security & Privacy. The Secure Foundations Lab maintains strong industry connections, with alumni joining Microsoft Research, Inria, Northeastern University, and other leading institutions. Recent projects like Verus, Everest, and Ironclad represent the lab's commitment to building end-to-end verified systems that provide rigorous security guarantees while maintaining practical performance.

Official University Profile

Yasutaka KameiView profile

Professor

Max Planck Institute for Security and PrivacyGermany

Yasutaka Kamei is a Full Professor at Kyushu University's Graduate School and Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, where he leads the POSL Lab (Process-Oriented Software Laboratory). He was promoted from Associate Professor to Full Professor in January 2024 after serving as Associate Professor from March 2015 to December 2023. He is also an InaRIS Fellow (2023-2033), receiving 10 million yen annually for his research on 'New paradigm for software development styles based on machine-human interaction.' Dr. Kamei's research focuses on Empirical Software Engineering (ESE) and Open Source Software Engineering (OSSE), with particular expertise in software reliability, testing, defect prediction, code review analysis, and mining software repositories. His work bridges empirical methods with practical software engineering challenges, emphasizing how data-driven approaches can improve software quality assurance processes. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward understanding human factors in software development processes, analyzing modern code review practices, investigating technical debt, and exploring the application of large language models in software engineering tasks. His research spans both traditional software engineering challenges and emerging AI-driven approaches to software development. IPSJ/ACM Award for Early Career Contribution to Global Research (2019) Best industry paper award at ESEM 2018 Distinguished Paper Award at MSR 2014 InaRIS Fellow (2023-2033) Dr. Kamei actively serves the software engineering community as Tutorials Chair for ASE 2025 and has been a program committee member for numerous top-tier conferences including ICSE, FSE, ASE, ESEC/FSE, SANER, and MSR. He has secured multiple competitive grants from MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) to support his research on test case generation, automated software testing for deep learning systems, technical debt engineering, and mining software repositories. His POSL Lab at Kyushu University serves as a hub for empirical software engineering research, focusing on data-driven approaches to improve software development processes and outcomes through rigorous analysis of software repositories and developer activities.

Official University Profile

Henning FemmerView profile

Professor

South Westphalia University of Applied SciencesGermany

Prof. Dr. Henning Femmer serves as Professor of Business Information Systems, especially Requirements Engineering and IT Quality Management at the University of Applied Sciences Südwestfalen within the Department of Technical Business Administration. He supervises the Software Systems Quality Lab and teaches courses including IT quality management, Information Management, Software internship, Software Engineering, and Requirements Engineering. His research focuses on: Requirements Engineering with AI/NLP applications for requirement capture and traceability IT quality management emphasizing usability DevOps practices and CI/CD implementation in educational settings Game-Based Learning and Serious Games in Higher Education UX Research using eye-tracking technology System Engineering through hands-on projects like the NASA Mars Rover recreation The Software Systems Quality Lab pursues four main objectives: replicating current software engineering methods, developing new tools, providing practical quality engineering experience, and collaborating with regional companies. The lab employs empirical research methods and features notable equipment including a self-built NASA Open Source Rover and a Tobii Pro Spark eye-tracking camera. His scientific recognition includes the NASA Group Achievement Award from the SARP project. Prof. Femmer actively supervises student theses in Software Engineering, Requirements Engineering, IT quality assurance, Text analysis, and Agile methods. He oversees practical projects like the NASA Mars Rover recreation where students gain hands-on experience with robotics, software development, and autonomous systems. The Software Systems Quality Lab team comprises Dipl.-Ing. Volker Weiss, Dehbia Kouadria (Research Associate focusing on Serious Games in Software Engineering), and student assistants Oliver Pachatka and Arina Vovna.

Official University Profile

Xiang GaoView profile

Associate Professor

Max Planck Institute for Security and PrivacyGermany

Xiang Gao is a Pre-tenure Associate Professor in the School of Software at Beihang University, China. His research focuses on applying program analysis, test generation, and formal methods to improve software quality through automated bug fixing and program synthesis. He has established significant collaborations with Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Microsoft Research, and other leading institutions in the software engineering field, demonstrating strong industry-academia connections. Dr. Gao received his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science (Elite Class) from Shandong University in 2016, followed by a Ph.D. from the School of Computing at the National University of Singapore, where he also served as a Postdoctoral Fellow until December 2021. His educational background spans both Chinese and Singaporean academic institutions, providing him with a global perspective on software engineering research. His primary research interests span multiple cutting-edge areas of software engineering: Program Analysis techniques for detecting and fixing software bugs with formal methods Software Security vulnerabilities with focus on automated repair methods Automated Program Repair systems that generate high-quality patches without overfitting Program Synthesis for creating transformation rules from examples Software Engineering for Artificial Intelligence (SE4AI) to improve AI model reliability and security Mobile Software Engineering with particular attention to UI testing and automation Deep Learning Security including model protection and obfuscation techniques Dr. Gao's recent publication trajectory shows a strategic evolution toward integrating large language models with traditional software engineering approaches, particularly in test generation and program repair. His work on DNN modularization (NeMo, CNNSpliter, SeaM) represents an innovative approach to enhancing model reusability and security in resource-constrained mobile environments, addressing critical challenges in deploying AI on edge devices. His scientific contributions have been recognized with multiple prestigious awards: ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award for "ProveNFix: Temporal Property guided Program Repair" at FSE'24 IEEE TCSE Distinguished Paper Award for "Investigating and Detecting Silent Bugs in PyTorch Programs" at SANER'24 ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award for "Modularizing while Training: A New Paradigm for Modularizing DNN Models" at ICSE'24 Distinguished Artifact Award for "Automated Patch Backporting in Linux (Experience Paper)" at ISSTA'21 Dr. Gao actively mentors students at various levels, seeking "self-motivated Ph.D, master, undergraduate students and interns with strong programming skills" for his research projects. He serves on numerous program committees for top software engineering conferences including ICSE, ASE, ISSTA, and FSE, demonstrating his growing influence in the academic community. His research has been supported through collaborations with industry partners including Microsoft Research and Fujitsu Laboratories of America, translating theoretical advances into practical applications. His laboratory focuses on several key research projects including Automated Software Vulnerability Repair (with techniques like Fix2Fit, VulnFix, and ExtractFix that address the overfitting problem in program repair), Program Synthesis for Program Transformation (including Semi-supervised synthesis and FixMorph for automated patch backporting in Linux), and Software Engineering for Artificial Intelligence (with projects like CNNSpliter, SeaM, and Sensei that apply software engineering principles to improve AI model usability and robustness). These projects represent cutting-edge work at the intersection of traditional software engineering and modern AI techniques, addressing critical challenges in software reliability and security.

Official University Profile

Apostolos AmpatzoglouView profile

Associate Professor

University of MacedoniaGreece

Apostolos Ampatzoglou serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Informatics at the University of Macedonia, where he leads research in software engineering with particular emphasis on technical debt management and software quality. Previously, he held an Assistant Professor position at the University of Groningen (2013-2016) and maintains active collaborations across European research initiatives. His academic credentials include a PhD in Software Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2013), MSc in Computer Systems from the University of Macedonia (2005), and BSc in Informatics from the Technological Education Institute of Thessaloniki (2003). Dr. Ampatzoglou's research program centers on technical debt quantification, reverse engineering, and software maintainability. He pioneered financial models for technical debt management and developed metrics for assessing ripple effects in software systems. His work bridges theoretical foundations with industrial applications through projects like SDK4ED and SmartCLIDE, focusing on energy-efficient development and cloud service engineering. Current investigations explore machine learning applications for vulnerability prediction and technical debt prioritization. His extensive publication record reveals strong trends in applying AI to software quality assurance, with recent work emphasizing transformer models for vulnerability detection and explainable AI for technical debt identification. He actively investigates energy-aware development practices and service-oriented architecture patterns in cloud environments. Notable recognitions include: Top-7 reviewer for Journal of Systems and Software (2022) Best paper awards at IGSCC'21, ICSR'18, and EASE'17 18th most active Consolidated Researcher in Software Engineering (2013-2020) 3rd most active Early Stage Researcher (2010-2017) Multiple personal research grants from National Scholarships Association He has successfully supervised PhD candidates including Dr. Areti Ampatzoglou (Best PhD Thesis Award, University of Groningen) and Dr. Elvira-Maria Arvanitou (VERSEN Institute award). His research is funded through major European projects such as SDK4ED, SmartCLIDE, and SKILLAB, with recent grants exceeding €2M in total funding. Current work focuses on FAIR data implementation and skills gap analysis in European labor markets. As leader of the Software Engineering Lab at the University of Macedonia, he directs a 15+ member team working on technical debt management tools, cloud development environments, and XR applications for warehouse management. The lab maintains strong industry partnerships with technology clusters in Thessaloniki and participates in the Eclipse Foundation ecosystem.

Official University Profile

Nicola ZannoneView profile

Associate Professor

Johannes Kepler University LinzAustria

Nicola Zannone serves as Associate Professor and Chair of the Data Protection research group within the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Trento (2007), where his dissertation focused on security requirements engineering during a research visit to the Center for ... Research Focus: His work centers on cybersecurity with emphasis on data protection, phishing defense mechanisms, and access control systems. Recent investigations explore emerging threats like quishing and LLM-generated phishing attacks, autonomous navigation security, and industrial control system vulnerabilities. His research uniquely bridges technical security solutions with human behavioral factors in organizational contexts. Publication Trends: Between 2024-2025, Zannone's output demonstrates growing attention to AI-powered threats and automated vulnerability mitigation. His systematic reviews and empirical studies consistently address practical security challenges in critical infrastructure and software supply chains, reflecting industry relevance through collaborations with security practitioners. Leadership Roles: As Chief Editor for Computer Security (Frontiers in Computer Science) and Associate Editor for Cybersecurity and Privacy (Frontiers in Big Data), he shapes discourse in security research. His editorial work on topics like "Generative AI for Cybersecurity" highlights forward-looking engagement with evolving threat landscapes.

Official University Profile

Ulrich EiseneckerView profile

Professor

Leipzig UniversityGermany

Professor Ulrich Eisenecker serves as the Director of the Institute for Business Informatics at Leipzig University's Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. He holds the Chair of Business Informatics with specialization in software development for business and administration, a position he has maintained since October 2004. Prior to this, he served as Dean of the Faculty (2012-2016) and Pro-Dean (2008-2012). His academic journey includes professorships at Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences (1999-2004) and Heidelberg University of Applied Sciences (1995-1999), following research positions at Daimler-Benz Research Institute and Mannesmann Kienzle GmbH. Professor Eisenecker's research focuses on Generative Software Development , Software Product Lines , Software Visualization (including 2D, 3D, AR and VR applications), and E-Assessment systems . His work bridges theoretical computer science with practical business applications, particularly evident in his application of set theory to software features and product lines. He leads the ongoing 'Visual Software Analytics' project and has previously directed projects funded by the European Social Fund and German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. His publication record spans over two decades, highlighted by the influential 2000 book 'Generative Programming' co-authored with K. Czarnecki and the 2017 Most Influential Paper Award from the Software Product Line Conference. Recent work (2023-2025) continues to advance software engineering and educational technology, particularly in automated assessment systems using AI techniques. Notable recognition: Most Influential Paper Award from Software Product Line Conference 2017 (SPLC 2017) Professor Eisenecker supervises doctoral and master's students, with numerous successful completions including Dr. Richard Müller, Dr. Max Lillack, and Dr. Johannes Kristan. His research group includes several scientific staff members and regularly publishes with student co-authors. He teaches 'Introduction to Computer Science' for economics students, 'Programming,' and 'Software Engineering' courses, integrating his research in automated feedback systems into his pedagogy. His research group maintains strong connections between academic research and practical applications, particularly through open source initiatives and industry collaborations focused on software analytics and educational technology.

Official University Profile

Thorsten Riemke-GurzkiView profile

Professor

University of Applied Sciences MediaGermany

Thorsten Riemke-Gurzki is a fulltime Professor for Web Technology, Corporate Portals & Usability at Stuttgart Media University in Stuttgart, Germany, where he has been working since 2008. Prior to his academic career, he worked as a freelance and employed consultant for various companies including SAP Germany. He describes himself as having 'grown up with hardware, CP/M, mailbox systems' and being 'web addicted since 1991,' positioning himself as both a frontend and backend developer and a 'web technology evangelist.' Professor Riemke-Gurzki's research interests span a comprehensive range of web technologies: Frontend and backend web development HTML, CSS, JavaScript and modern frameworks (React, React Native, Vue.js) Server-side technologies including Node.js, Go, Docker, and database systems Microservices architectures and single page applications Web 3D/AR, AI applications for the web, and Internet of Things User experience, usability, and content management systems His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on practical web development techniques, covering topics from CSS fundamentals to advanced server implementation in Go and exploration of emerging technologies like JavaScript-based microcontrollers. His work bridges academic research with practical industry applications through his website riemke.dev where he shares technical articles and hosts a podcast on web development topics. Professor Riemke-Gurzki maintains an active presence in both academic and developer communities, with educational materials on GitHub and engagement with industry technologies like the Daimler UXLab truck. His approach emphasizes hands-on learning and practical application of web technologies.

Official University Profile

David RungeView profile

Part-Time Lecturer

Berlin University of the ArtsGermany

David Runge serves as a PartTime Lecturer at the Central Institute for Continuing Education and Transfer, Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin), where he contributes to audio technology education and professional development programs. His academic foundation includes a degree in Audio Communication and Technology from Technische Universität Berlin, providing technical grounding for his specialized work. Runge's research critically examines spatial audio renderers with emphasis on usability engineering and professional audio implementation within Linux environments. His work bridges theoretical audio spatialization techniques with practical open-source software development, addressing accessibility challenges in immersive sound design and real-time audio processing systems. This positions him at the intersection of human-computer interaction and specialized operating system audio architectures. From 2015 to 2017, he actively mentored student projects at an Electronic Music Studio, guiding collaborative initiatives in electronic music production and technology integration. His advisory approach emphasizes hands-on technical implementation within creative contexts, fostering innovation in audio project development.

Official University Profile

Simone ScalabrinoView profile

Assistant Professor

Max Planck Institute for Security and PrivacyGermany

Simone Scalabrino is an Assistant Professor at the University of Molise, Italy, where he is part of the STAKE lab. He also serves as CSO at Datasound. His academic career includes teaching courses such as Automated Software Delivery and Object-Oriented Programming at the University of Molise. Dr. Scalabrino received his Ph.D. from the University of Molise in 2019 with a thesis entitled "Automatically Assessing and Improving Code Readability and Understandability," supervised by Prof. Rocco Oliveto. He earned his Master's Degree in Computer Science from the University of Salerno in 2015 and his Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from the University of Molise in 2013. His research interests focus on Software Quality, Software Testing, Software Security, and Empirical Software Engineering . Dr. Scalabrino's work spans multiple areas including code readability assessment, software testing methodologies, Docker container analysis, game quality assessment, and voice user interface testing. His research often combines empirical methods with machine learning techniques to address practical software engineering challenges. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on improving software quality through various approaches. His work spans code readability assessment, Docker container analysis, game quality testing, and voice user interface evaluation. There's a clear trend toward applying machine learning techniques to traditional software engineering problems, particularly in the areas of code understanding, defect prediction, and quality assessment. His research often involves large-scale empirical studies with real-world data from open source projects and commercial applications. Scientific Awards Distinguished Reviewer Award @ FSE 2025 Distinguished Reviewer for TSE (2023) Best Reviewer Award for JSS (2022) ACM Distinguished Paper Award @ MSR 2019 ACM Distinguished Paper Award @ ASE 2017 ACM Distinguished Paper Award @ ICPC 2016 Dr. Scalabrino has been actively involved in mentoring students through research projects, though specific student names are not listed in the provided information. He has served on program committees for numerous prestigious conferences including ASE, ICSE, ICPC, and FSE. His service extends to reviewing for top-tier journals such as Transactions on Software Engineering and Empirical Software Engineering. He leads or contributes to several research projects including DevProDev, which focuses on developer-centered recommendation systems, and ATTICUS, a tele-monitoring system for ambient-assisted living. Dr. Scalabrino has also developed multiple research tools such as Code Readability Predictor, TIRESIAS, OCELOT, CLAP, and ACRyL to address various software engineering challenges.

Official University Profile

Thomas DegueuleView profile

Researcher

Max Planck Institute for Security and PrivacyGermany

Thomas Degueule is a researcher at CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) in France, actively contributing to software engineering research since 2015. He serves on program committees for major conferences including ASE, ICSE, and SLE, with primary research interests in Software Evolution, Empirical Software Engineering, and Domain-Specific Languages. His work focuses on breaking change analysis in APIs and libraries, client-library compatibility testing, and dependency management. He develops practical tools like Roseau for source-based breaking change detection and investigates semantic versioning impacts in ecosystems like Maven Central. His empirical approach leverages large-scale repository analysis to address real-world software maintenance challenges, particularly in Java ecosystems. Recent publications (2023-2025) show consistent contributions to breaking change analysis and compatibility testing, appearing in top venues like ASE, ICSE, and ISSTA. His research bridges theoretical insights with practical tooling for software evolution challenges, demonstrating strong empirical methodology and tool-oriented contributions. No scientific awards are documented in the available information. Degueule has advised no publicly listed students and holds no mentioned research grants. His organizational roles include Program Co-Chair for SLE 2023 and committee positions across multiple conferences, reflecting significant service to the software engineering community.

Official University Profile