Bowen Xu

Bowen Xu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University, where he leads the SoftMax Lab within the College of Engineering. Previously, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Singapore Management University (SMU), where he also earned his PhD from the School of Computing and Information Systems.

His research spans the intersection of machine learning and software engineering, with particular focus on securing AI models for software engineering tasks from both model and data perspectives. Key research interests include AI for Code, Backdoor Attack and Defense on Large Code Models, Code Data Interpretation and Quality, Code Representation Learning, Model Compression, Vulnerability Detection and Repair, and Safety of AI-enabled Software Systems.

Xu's publication record shows a strong focus on the security aspects of AI code models, with several recent papers examining backdoor attacks and defenses. His work also explores the application of large language models to software engineering tasks like vulnerability repair, API documentation, and technical question answering. His publications appear in top venues including IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering (TSE), ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology (TOSEM), and International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE).

• Highly Commended Full Paper Award at ESEM 2018
• Honorable Mention Award at ACSAC 2022
• Nominated for ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award at ASE 2022

Xu actively serves the software engineering community through editorial and program committee roles, including serving as Paper Review Co-chair for ICSE 2025 and FSE 2025, and as a member of the Editorial Board for Empirical Software Engineering Journal. He has advised numerous graduate and undergraduate students who have gone on to positions at companies like Microsoft, Marvell Semiconductor, and Barclays.