Reiko Heckel

Reiko Heckel is a Professor of Software Engineering at the University of Leicester, serving as Director of Postgraduate Teaching for Computing degrees and Data Analytics Lead at the Leicester Innovation Hub. She previously held academic roles at the Technical Universities of Dresden and Berlin before joining Leicester in 2004. Her research focuses on graph transformation systems, model-based development, stochastic modeling, and formal methods in software engineering. She earned her PhD (Dr.-Ing.) in Computer Science from TU Berlin in 1998.

Her research interests span software engineering pedagogy, formal specification techniques, and applications of graph grammars in system modeling. Recent work explores stochastic graph transformations for social networks, transparency engineering in AI systems, and blockchain-based smart contract frameworks. Her contributions bridge theoretical foundations with practical applications in cybersecurity, data integration, and human-centric systems design.

Key contributions include advancements in automated test case generation via graph transformations, visual contracts for software reverse engineering, and formal methods for complex system analysis. Her work frequently intersects with industry through collaborations via the Leicester Innovation Hub, emphasizing data analytics and technology transfer.

• Education:
  • MSc Computer Science, Technical University of Dresden
  • PhD (Dr.-Ing.), Computer Science, TU Berlin (1998)
• Leadership Roles:
  • Head of Department (2014-2018)
  • Director of Postgraduate Teaching (Ongoing)
• Research Themes:
  • Model-Based Development
  • Stochastic Systems Analysis
  • Graph Neural Networks
  • Trustworthy AI

Her publications reflect a focus on formal methods, with recent trends in applying graph transformation techniques to social network modeling, blockchain smart contracts, and educational pedagogy.