Mats Heimdahl

Mats Heimdahl serves as Professor and Department Head of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering within the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering. His leadership spans both academic administration and cutting-edge research in critical systems engineering.

His research focuses on developing predictable, defect-free software through innovations in automated software engineering. Key areas include model-based development, requirements engineering, and verification/validation methodologies. The Critical Systems Research Group (CriSys) drives investigations into tool-supported approaches for reducing development costs while improving software quality and safety assurance.

Recent publication trends reveal intense specialization in safety-critical systems, particularly aircraft software verification, neural network testing, and formal contract-based design. His work consistently bridges theoretical formal methods with industrial applications in avionics and autonomous systems.

• Distinguished University Teaching Professor award recipient

He has advised 22 PhD students including Tae Joon Byun (2022), Danielle Stewart (2021), and Andreas Katis (2020), often collaborating with researchers like Sanjai Rayadurgam and Michael W. Whalen. Current projects include NSF-funded initiatives on interdisciplinary computing education and high-assurance secure systems.

As director of the Critical Systems Research Group (CriSys), he leads collaborative efforts with NASA, Rockwell Collins, and the National Science Foundation on architectural modeling, safety engineering, and IoT security frameworks.