Dr. Gowri Sankar Ramachandran is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Information Systems at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), specializing in cybersecurity and distributed systems. She holds a PhD from KU Leuven (Belgium) and a postdoctoral position at the University of Southern California (USC). Her research focuses on open-source software security, runtime threat detection, blockchain applications, and IoT vulnerabilities. Notable contributions include the FUSE tool for detecting malicious packages and the discovery of hyperlink hijacking vulnerabilities affecting millions of domains. Research interests span software supply chain security, metadata-based risk analysis, and generative AI for cyber risk modeling. Awards include Best Paper Awards at ACM CBSE (2016), Mobiquitous (2017), and BigMM (2019). Collaborations include projects with CSIRO, the City of Los Angeles, and the University of São Paulo. She teaches courses on cybersecurity, database management, and network security, and actively supervises PhD students in cybersecurity and blockchain domains. Recent publications address blockchain-based data governance, quantum-resilient IoT protocols, and decentralized identity systems. Her work bridges academic research with real-world impact, addressing critical challenges in digital systems security and privacy.
Yuqing Wang is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, Finland, actively contributing to software engineering research with expertise in anomaly detection for microservices and test automation maturity. Contactable via yuqing.wang@helsinki.fi and phone +358505934630/+358294151310, Wang participates in major EU and Academy of Finland projects including LUMI AI Factory (2025-2028) and MuFAno (2023-2026). Research focuses on two interconnected domains: anomaly detection in cloud-native systems using meta-learning for cross-system log analysis and trace categorization, and test automation maturity assessment frameworks. Recent work pioneers datasets like LO2 for microservice API anomalies and tools like LogLead for integrated log processing, while earlier studies establish quantitative links between test automation maturity and product quality in open-source ecosystems. Publications reveal an evolving trajectory from foundational test automation maturity models (2018-2020) toward advanced AI-driven anomaly detection (2024-2025), with 2022-2023 bridging both domains through empirical studies on agile practices and maturity impacts. Current work emphasizes cross-system generalization and multimodal fusion for microservice reliability. No scientific awards are documented in available sources. Wang contributes to two significant grants: the EU Horizon Europe LUMI AI Factory developing AI service infrastructure (2025-2028), and the Academy of Finland MuFAno project advancing multimodal anomaly detection for microservices (2023-2026). These projects drive collaboration with industry partners on real-world system reliability challenges.
Istvan David is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computing and Software at McMaster University , with research expertise spanning Digital Twins , Model-Driven Engineering , and Sustainability . His work bridges theoretical and applied domains, focusing on smart ecosystems , collaborative modeling , and AI-driven simulation . Key contributions include frameworks for digital twin evolution and interoperability in sustainable systems. Education : BSc, MSc, and PhD in Computer Engineering and Computer Science from Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and University of Antwerp. Research Areas : Digital Twins, Model-Driven Engineering, Reinforcement Learning, Smart Ecosystems, Sustainability, Collaborative Modeling, Cyber-Biophysical Systems, and Software Architecture. Recent Article Trends emphasize AI integration with digital twins, collaborative modeling in industrial contexts, and sustainable systems engineering . His work often combines machine learning with formal modeling to address challenges in technical sustainability and smart agriculture .
David Hästbacka is an Associate Professor (tenure track) at the Department of Computing Sciences, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences at Tampere University. His research focuses on software engineering, industrial automation, and energy systems, emphasizing system architecture, interoperability frameworks, and dependable IoT solutions. He leads a research group exploring edge and cloud computing, semantic integration, and smart energy systems. Education & Professional Background : While specific educational details are not provided, his academic career includes roles such as Postdoctoral Researcher in the SEMIS project (2017-2020) and extensive involvement in EU-funded initiatives like COCOP (EU H2020) and Horizon Europe projects. Research Projects : Active in high-impact projects like Hedge-IoT (Horizon Europe, 2024-2027), TwinfFlow (Business Finland), and TRINEFLEX (Horizon Europe), with a focus on industrial automation, distributed systems, and energy grids. Past projects include FEMMa (Business Finland), DisMa (Academy of Finland), and Arrowhead (ECSEL). Teaching & Supervision : Specializes in Web/Cloud architectures, IoT systems, and dependable automation technologies. Supervises students in topics like edge computing frameworks and MLOps pipelines. Technical Contributions : Develops frameworks for industrial interoperability (e.g., OPC UA PubSub integration), edge-cloud toolchains, and MLOps methodologies. His work addresses challenges in microservices, Kubernetes distributions, and semantic data integration. Labs & Teams : Leads a research group advancing automation technologies through interdisciplinary collaboration, with partnerships in industry and academia to bridge theory and practice in smart systems.
Dr Qinghua Lu is a leading researcher and Group Leader of the Software Systems Research Group at CSIRO's Data61, Australia’s premier data science and innovation center. She is a key contributor to international AI safety and governance initiatives, including Australia’s AI Safety Standard, OECD.AI’s trustworthy AI metrics, and the EU General-Purpose AI Code of Practice. Her research centers on Responsible AI , AI Safety , and Software Engineering for AI , with a focus on Agent Engineering, AI architecture, and DevOps. Her work has set foundational directions in the field, particularly through her widely cited roadmap on engineering responsible AI systems. Dr Lu has authored over 200 publications in top-tier journals and conferences such as ICSE, FSE, AAAI, and NeurIPS. Her recent publications reflect a strong trend in trustworthy AI, software engineering practices for AI systems, and evaluation frameworks. Her 2023 paper Towards a Roadmap on Software Engineering for Responsible AI won the ACM Distinguished Paper Award, highlighting its impact. She has received numerous honors, including: 2023 APAC Women in AI Trailblazer Award IEEE HITC Mid Career Award (2023) Julius Career Award (CSIRO, 2021–2025) Multiple ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Awards IEEE Transactions on AI Outstanding Associate Editor (2024) Dr Lu actively contributes to the academic community as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence , Engineering Applications of AI , and other journals. She serves as Area Chair for ICSE’26, Program Chair for AIware’25 and CAIN’25, and has reviewed for top conferences including NeurIPS, ICML, and IJCAI. She leads a vibrant research group focused on Agent Engineering and AI Safety, driving innovation in architecture design, evaluation, compliance, and supply chain security for AI systems.
Aravind Machiry is an Assistant Professor at Purdue University's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and a founding member of the Purdue Systems and Software Security (PurS3) Lab . His research focuses on system security, particularly vulnerability detection, prevention, and secure system development using static/dynamic program analysis, fuzzing, type systems, and machine learning. Designing practical solutions for software and embedded system security Recipient of NSF CAREER and Amazon Research awards Active participant in SPLASH 2025 as OOPSLA Review Committee member His recent work includes automated vulnerability detection in embedded software, spatial memory safety enhancements, and security analysis of GitHub workflows. He has received recognition for his research through multiple distinguished paper awards and industry funding. Selected scientific awards include NSF CAREER Award (2024) Amazon Research Award (2022) Test of Time Award at FSE 2023 for DynoDroid Distinguished Paper Award at OOPSLA 2022 for 3c Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship (2025) His research team has developed frameworks like ARGUS for taint analysis of CI/CD workflows and FuzzUEr for UEFI interface fuzzing, discovering hundreds of critical vulnerabilities in open-source projects and thousands of command injection flaws in GitHub repositories.
Prof. Dr. Harald Ritz serves as Professor of Practical Computer Science, especially Business Informatics, at the Technical University of Central Hesse (THM) within the Department of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Computer Science since 2003. He holds leadership roles as Chair of Examination Committees for B.Sc. and M.Sc. Business Information Systems and Spokesperson for the MNI department in the Business Informatics Working Group (AKWI). His educational background includes a Diplom in Business Informatics (Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Inform.) and doctorate (Dr. rer. pol.) from the Technical University of Darmstadt, following professional experience at SAP SI AG and a professorship at Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences. Ritz's research centers on AI-driven digital transformation for data-driven enterprises, with focus on the “Data to Decision” value chain encompassing Framing, Allocation, Analytics, and Preparation phases. His work integrates business intelligence, data warehousing, machine learning, and SAP ecosystems to address challenges in SME digitalization, operational IT management, and educational technology. Current projects emphasize AI applications in higher education, including intelligent tutoring systems and automated feedback mechanisms. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals a consistent trajectory toward applied AI solutions in business contexts, particularly in intelligent chatbots for educational support, financial trading algorithms, and cloud-based data infrastructure. The research demonstrates increasing integration of no-code platforms, real-time analytics, and domain-specific AI applications across logistics, banking, and procurement sectors. No scientific awards were documented in the source materials. Professor Ritz actively supervises academic development through bachelor’s and master’s theses, doctoral research, and collaborative projects. Current initiatives include the “Winfy” AI chatbot (v4.0, 2025), AI-based feedback systems for educational content (Freiraum 2025 grant), the frits intelligent tutoring project with Prof. Kammer, and doctoral research on AI adoption in SMEs. His work bridges theoretical research with practical implementation in SAP environments and cloud platforms. He operates within THM’s MNI department infrastructure, collaborating through the Business Informatics Working Group (AKWI) and contributing to the Digital Classroom communication platform for online education.
Dr Sudip Mittal is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science & Engineering at Mississippi State University and Associate Research Director of the PATENT Lab. His research spans cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and cyber-physical systems, with a focus on building self-protecting systems and predictive security for unmanned vehicles. He leads the SECRETS Lab and has published over 70 papers in top venues, with work featured in The LA Times and WIRED. Research interests include: Autonomous intrusion response systems AI-driven threat detection in IoT/CPS Adversarial machine learning His publications (2019-2025) show a strong emphasis on AI security applications, particularly in malware detection, healthcare compliance, and anomaly detection using large language models. Recent articles explore MLOps security, adaptive cyber defense, and synthetic data generation for critical systems.
Santiago Torres-Arias is an Assistant Professor at Purdue University, affiliated with the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering . His research spans computer systems security , software supply chain security , and applied cryptography . Campus: West Lafayette, Indianapolis Office: BHEE 324B Contact: santiagotorres@purdue.edu , +1 765-496-6610 Research Interests: Computer systems security Software supply chain security Distributed systems security Applied cryptography Password storage mechanisms Publication Trends: His recent work focuses on software supply chain security , including code signing , provenance mechanisms , and IoT vulnerabilities . Key projects address Sigstore , DevSecOps , and zero-trust dependencies . Scientific Awards: Advising & Grants: No student details provided No grant information listed
Bernhard Aichernig is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence. His work bridges formal methods, model-based testing, and artificial intelligence, with a focus on automata learning, digital twins, and AI-assisted programming. Institution: Institute of Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence Key Research Areas: Model-Based Testing, Automata Learning, AI-Driven Verification His research explores the integration of machine learning into formal verification, enabling scalable testing of complex systems like IoT devices and reinforcement learning agents. Recent projects include AI-Augmented DevOps frameworks (AIDOaRT) and digital twin validation (LearnTwins). Notable scientific awards include multiple best paper recognitions at SEFM (2020, 2021) and the TAYSIR Competition first place (2023). His publications emphasize hybrid approaches combining genetic programming, SMT solving, and neural networks for system modeling. 2025 : AI-assisted programming, timed automata via domain knowledge 2024 : Stochastic environment modeling, Git system learning 2023 : Reinforcement learning under partial observability, digital twins for VPN servers He actively contributes to testing frameworks like AALpy and investigates explainable AI for fault diagnosis in cyber-physical systems.
Maria Leonilde Rocha Varela is an Associate Professor with Habilitation at the School of Engineering, University of Minho, Portugal, where she also serves as a Senior Researcher at the Algoritmi Research Centre. She has been an integrated member of the Algoritmi Research Centre since 2012 and works in the Department of Production and Systems. Dr. Varela earned her degree in Production Engineering from the University of Minho in 1994, completed a Master's in Computer Integrated Production at DPS-UMinho in 1999, and received her Ph.D. in Production and Systems from the University of Minho in 2007. Her primary research focuses on Manufacturing Management, particularly Production Planning, Control and Optimization, and Collaborative Paradigms, Networks and Decision Making Models. She maintains extensive international collaborations with institutions worldwide including the National Institute of Industrial Engineering, VSB-Technick Univerzita Ostrava, University of Belgrade, and others. Her research spans Web Applications and Services for supporting Engineering and Production Management, with increasing emphasis on Artificial Intelligence, Robotic Process Automation, and Industry 4.0/5.0 applications. She has made significant contributions to scheduling algorithms, optimization techniques, and decision support systems for manufacturing environments. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong trend toward integrating Artificial Intelligence with traditional manufacturing processes, particularly in Robotic Process Automation applications. Her research increasingly focuses on sustainable manufacturing practices, with numerous publications addressing energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, and resource optimization. There is a clear emphasis on multi-objective optimization approaches to solve complex manufacturing problems, particularly in distributed job shop scheduling. Her work demonstrates an evolution from traditional production planning methods to more advanced AI-driven approaches for Industry 4.0 and 5.0 environments. Dr. Varela has held significant academic leadership roles, currently serving as the director of the master's course in Engineering and Quality Management at DPS-UMinho. She previously coordinated the industrial management and systems subgroup from 2012 to 2021 and was part of the steering committee for the master's course in systems engineering between 2016 and 2019. She has successfully supervised more than 70 MSc projects, with over 15 currently ongoing, focusing on Production and Systems Engineering. Her supervision encompasses collaborative management models, traditional decision approaches, and web-based platforms incorporating AI techniques. She coordinates research projects including 2 concluded Ph.D. projects and 6 ongoing ones. She collaborates as a research member in several R&D projects with national and international industrial enterprises and institutions, and in international Erasmus projects. Dr. Varela is an active participant in the academic community, serving on editorial boards of several international journals and as a member of organizing and scientific committees for numerous international conferences. She is a member of several prestigious research networks including the Euro Working Group of Decision Support Systems (EWG-DSS), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Industrial Engineering Network, and the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE).
Torgeir Dingsøyr is an Adjunct Chief Research Scientist and Research Professor in the Department of IT Management at Simula Metropolitan, a leading Norwegian research institute specializing in software engineering and digital technologies. His role encompasses both strategic research leadership and active empirical investigation into large-scale agile software development and software process improvement. Research Interests Large-scale agile software development methods and governance. Coordination and communication challenges in very large development programmes. Software process improvement (SPI) with emphasis on practical, evidence-based approaches. Teamwork effectiveness and autonomous teams in continuous deployment environments. Digital transformation project organization, particularly within Scandinavian contexts. Across more than two decades, Dingsøyr has produced influential handbooks and empirical studies that bridge the gap between SPI theory and industrial practice. His work increasingly addresses second-generation agile methods, emphasizing safety nets for high-risk development and autonomy at scale. Scientific Awards No specific awards listed in the provided text. Advising & Grants Dingsøyr collaborates extensively with industry and academic partners to secure funding for longitudinal case studies and improvement initiatives. While individual student names are not provided, his publications demonstrate active supervision and mentoring within multi-partner projects. Laboratory & Teams He operates within Simula Metropolitan’s research environment, contributing to interdisciplinary teams that unite software engineering researchers, data scientists, and industrial practitioners to advance empirical software engineering and agile transformation.
Lionel C. Briand is a Professor of Software Engineering with shared appointments at the University of Luxembourg's SnT Centre for Security, Reliability, and Trust and the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Ottawa. He holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Intelligent Software Dependability and Compliance and serves as Director of Lero, Ireland's national software research center. His academic leadership spans over 25 years of collaborative research with industry partners across automotive, aerospace, energy, financial, and legal domains. Professor Briand's research focuses on software verification and validation, trustworthy AI systems, model-driven engineering, and empirical software engineering methodologies. His work bridges theoretical foundations with industrial applications, particularly in cyber-physical systems where machine learning components interact with safety-critical control systems. He has pioneered techniques for testing AI-enabled systems, GDPR compliance automation, and mutation analysis for space systems. His publication portfolio demonstrates consistent innovation in software testing, with recent emphasis on large language models for test generation, automated compliance checking, and safety analysis of deep neural networks. Key trends include black-box testing methodologies, metamorphic testing for security, and search-based approaches for DNN validation. IEEE Fellow and ACM Fellow IEEE Computer Society Harlan Mills Award (2012) ACM SIGSOFT Outstanding Research Award (2022) IEEE Reliability Society Engineer-of-the-Year Award (2013) ERC Advanced Grant recipient (2016) Fellow of the Academy of Science, Royal Society of Canada (2023) ICSE 2011 Most Influential Paper Award As Director of Lero and holder of a Canada Research Chair, Professor Briand leads major research initiatives including an ERC Advanced Grant on cyber-physical system modeling and testing. His industrial collaborations generate substantial grant funding, particularly in automotive safety validation and regulatory compliance automation. He mentors numerous researchers through his dual appointments and serves on program committees for top software engineering conferences. Professor Briand directs research activities at the SnT Centre's SVV department, focusing on software verification and validation. His team develops practical tools like MASS for space system mutation analysis and COREQQA for compliance requirements understanding, with strong industry adoption in automotive and aerospace sectors.
Univ.-Prof. Martin Pinzger is a Professor at the Department of Informatics Systems, Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt. He serves as Head of Department and Member of the Senate, actively contributing to academic governance. Research Focus: Automating Software Engineering Tasks, Mining Software Repositories, Program Analysis, Software Evolution and Visualization Recent Work: Developing tools for API evolution analysis, cybersecurity AI (CAI), robotics benchmarking (RobotPerf), and dependency validation His research combines empirical studies with tool development for software maintenance and security. Current projects address challenges in REST API breaking changes, cloud security certifications, and robotic system performance evaluation. Publications since 2023 demonstrate continued engagement with topics spanning AI-driven code segmentation, microservice API evolution, and cybersecurity tool development. Key trends include cross-disciplinary applications of NLP to software engineering and security-focused tool creation. Contact: martin.pinzger@aau.at
Tushar Sharma is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University, Canada. His research focuses on software engineering, particularly software quality, refactoring, technical debt, and the application of machine learning in software engineering (ML4SE). He leads the SMART Lab and is actively involved in projects related to Green AI and sustainable software development. PhD : Software Engineering, Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece (2019) MS : Computer Science, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, India His research interests span software design and architecture, code and design quality, refactoring, technical debt, mining software repositories, and applied machine learning for software engineering. He is particularly interested in sustainable AI, green software engineering, and the use of large language models for code. His work bridges empirical studies with practical tool development to improve software maintainability and quality. His recent publications highlight a strong trend in code smell detection, refactoring automation, energy-aware AI, and the reliability of large language models in software engineering. He has developed tools like Designite and DPy and contributed datasets such as MaRV and DACOS, emphasizing empirical validation and reproducibility in software engineering research. Dean's Research Excellence Award Best Artifact Award, SCAM 2023 IEEE Senior Member Tushar Sharma has secured significant research funding, including an NSERC Discovery Grant for DevQOps, Mitacs Accelerate grants with industry partners, and contributions to the $154M Canada First Research Excellence Fund project. He actively mentors students and collaborates with industry. He leads the SMART Lab at Dalhousie and has organized workshops such as SATToSE 2018. He is also a founding developer of Designite, a widely used software design quality assessment tool.
