Frank Piessens is a Full Professor in the Department of Computer Science at KU Leuven's Faculty of Engineering Science, where he leads the Distributed and Secure Software (DistriNet) research group. His research focuses on cutting-edge security challenges at the hardware-software interface. His research interests span: Hardware-software co-design for end-to-end security Confidential computing architectures Microarchitectural side-channel mitigation Secure IoT development Compiler-based security mechanisms Control-flow integrity techniques Recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate strong focus on: Hardware security cost/performance tradeoffs Processor-level security enhancements (RISC-V, high-end CPUs) IoT device lifecycle security Control-flow leakage prevention Microcontroller IP protection He currently supervises PhD students including M. Bognár and H. Winderix, and leads major research initiatives such as: Hardening confidential computing through vertically integrated system design (2025-2031) Designing secure hardware for software-exploitable attacks (2025-2029) Compiler-based mitigations for microarchitectural side-channels (2023-2027) Security Arms Race at the Hardware-Software Boundary (2020-2025)
Maxime Gobert is a researcher at the University of Namur's Faculty of Computer Science, specializing in database systems and software engineering. Having completed his PhD in March 2023 titled 'Design, Manipulation and Evolution of Hybrid Polystores,' Gobert has established himself as an expert in hybrid database systems, particularly focusing on the HyDRa framework for modeling and evolving polystores. His research interests span database systems, hybrid polystores, database schema evolution, software engineering, data-intensive systems, and static program analysis. Gobert's work bridges theoretical database concepts with practical applications, particularly in NoSQL databases like MongoDB and complex hybrid data storage environments. His publication record demonstrates a clear trajectory from his 2013 Master's thesis on database reverse engineering through to his recent work on database testing best practices and sign language processing applications. His research shows strong collaboration with colleagues at the University of Namur, particularly with Professor Cleve A., and extends to international collaborations as evidenced by his 2016 guest researcher position at the University of Geneva. Best New Idea and Emerging Results (NIER) Paper Award at the 20th IEEE Working Conference on Source Code Analysis and Manipulation (SCAM 2020) Jean Fichefet 2013 award Gobert has contributed significantly to the development of the HyDRa framework for hybrid polystore management and has extended his research into sign language processing through collaborative projects creating bilingual sign language dictionaries and parallel corpora. His work demonstrates both technical depth in database systems and a commitment to applying this expertise to accessibility-focused applications.
Coen De Roover is a Professor at the Software Languages Lab of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel , actively leading research in program analysis, software quality, and security. He chairs the Bachelor in Computer Science program and supervises a dynamic research group. Research Focus: Static/dynamic analysis, automated testing, software maintenance, AI for SE, infrastructure as code security. Projects: Bugatti (2025-2028), Cracy (2024-2027), CRPF (2024-2028), BaseCamp Zero (2022-2026), EcoPipe (2023-2025), APAX (2022-2024). Scientific Awards: MSR 2025 Distinguished Dataset Award IEEE TCSE Distinguished Paper Award (SANER 2022) ICSE 2022 Best Artifact Award SCAM 2022 Best Artifact Award Conference Leadership: General Chair of SCAM 2024, Program Co-Chair for GPCE 2024, and active in organizing summer schools on security testing.
Jean-Luc Hainaut is a Professor at the Faculty of Computer Science , specializing in Database Application Engineering , Reverse Engineering , and Information Systems Modelling . His work spans theoretical and applied research in software engineering, with a focus on SQL symbolic execution , unit testing , and engineering tools . His research projects include: DB-MAIN : Database Application Engineering (1993–present) RetroWeb : Web Sites Reverse-Engineering Methodologies and Tools (2001–present) ReQuest : Research Program Schemas (2003–present) MIRROR : MedIcal Resource Real Time Optimizer (2012–2015) Key research areas: Reverse Engineering Database Evolution Symbolic Execution Healthcare Systems Modelling Automated Generation of Systems Selected publications highlight his contributions to SQL testing , data-oriented applications , and healthcare information systems . He has supervised numerous students and contributed to the Sustainable Development Goals related to Good Health and Well-being through medical resource optimization projects.
Vincent Englebert is a Professor at the University of Namur's Faculty of Computer Science, where he is affiliated with the Research Center on Information Systems Engineering (PReCISE) and the Namur Digital Institute (NADI). His office is located in the IT Building at Rue Grandgagnage, 21 in Namur, Belgium. He teaches courses including Organisational and Business Modelling, Software Architecture Engineering, and Software Engineering Laboratory for the 2023-2026 academic period. Bachelor and Master in Computer Science (University of Namur) Doctor of Science in Computer Science (2000), thesis: 'A smart Meta-CASE: towards an integrated solution' Englebert's research focuses on Domain-Specific Modeling Language (DSML) Engineering, Modeling & Meta-modeling, and Software Architecture Engineering, with additional interest in Computers and Aging applications. His work spans theoretical foundations of modeling languages to practical applications in business processes and aging populations. The fingerprint of his research shows strong emphasis on design (100%), engineering (78%), computer codes (70%), Reverse Engineering (63%), architecture (60%), tools (56%), modeling (55%), and transformations (50%). His recent publications (2020-2024) demonstrate continued productivity in model-driven engineering, with particular focus on software product lines, feature modeling, and applications for aging populations. These works show a clear trajectory from theoretical modeling foundations to practical implementations and societal applications. Best paper at International Conference Modelsward'2014 Englebert has supervised numerous research projects, including the current e-Anacarde: Digitalisation project (2024-2028) and previously led major initiatives like UsiXML and METADONE. He has been active in media and public engagement, particularly regarding computer science education in schools, with multiple expert commentaries in 2016. His external responsibilities have included significant leadership positions, notably as Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science (2015-2019) and Director of the PRECISE/IS research center (until 2011). He is active in research networks and collaborations, with recent external collaborations spanning multiple countries. His work with the NAM-IP Museum demonstrates ongoing engagement with cultural institutions, while his presentations on Alzheimer's disease and computer technology show commitment to applying informatics to societal challenges.
Vincent Naessens is a Professor at the Department of Computer Science within KU Leuven's Faculty of Engineering Technology, leading the Subdivision Mobility and Security at the Distributed and Secure Software (DistriNet) research group across Ghent and Aalst campuses. His work bridges academic research and industrial applications in critical security domains. Research Focus: Dr. Naessens specializes in secure mobile platforms , advanced authentication systems , privacy-enhancing technologies , and industrial control system security . His research addresses real-world vulnerabilities in IoT ecosystems and develops novel anonymization techniques that balance data utility with privacy protection. Current work emphasizes self-healing embedded systems and secure smart building infrastructures. Publication Trends: Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal three dominant threads: (1) Advanced dataset anonymization methods addressing temporal data and k-anonymity limitations; (2) Deep security analysis of commercial IoT products exposing critical vulnerabilities; (3) Privacy-preserving collaborative data sharing architectures. His work consistently targets practical implementations with measurable privacy-utility tradeoffs. Research Leadership: As principal investigator for major projects including Towards Self-Healing Embedded Systems (2025-2029) and BUGATTI: Embedded Security Testing (2025-2028), he directs teams exploring exploit prevention and adaptive patching. Key funding sources include FWO and EU programs supporting his work on secure SCADA systems and privacy middleware. Research Environment: Leading DistriNet's Mobility and Security subdivision, Naessens oversees a dynamic team publishing at top venues like WOOT and ARES. The group maintains strong industry ties through projects like TRUSTI (IoT security updates) and SolidLab Flanders, with active participation in the Computer Science Department Council and Faculty Advisory Committee.
Stijn Volckaert is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at KU Leuven's Faculty of Engineering Technology. Based at the Ghent and Aalst Campuses within the Distributed and Secure Software (DistriNet) research group, he serves as head of education for the OC Elektronica-ICT program across Brugge and Gent campuses while holding key roles in the Faculty Council and program committees. His research centers on systems security (software diversity, exploit mitigations, multi-variant execution), operating systems (kernel development, virtualization, fault-tolerance), and software protection (obfuscation, reverse engineering). This work develops practical security mechanisms that enhance software resilience without compromising performance, addressing critical vulnerabilities in memory-unsafe systems and privacy infrastructure. Recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate consistent contributions to top security venues like USENIX Security and EuroSec, with dominant themes in multi-variant execution systems, memory safety for RISC-V architectures, and privacy vulnerabilities in location-based services. His work bridges theoretical security concepts with real-world implementation challenges, particularly in exploit mitigation and hardware-assisted security. Scientific awards: None listed. Volckaert actively supervises students including PhD candidate K. Dhondt (thesis on location-based privacy) and leads major research initiatives: Semi-Automated Techniques for Deterministic Behavior in MVX Environments (2024-2028) Efficient Memory Safety Mechanisms for RISC-V (2024-2028) RUSTiec: Rust Integration in IoT/Edge/Cloud (2022-2024) Tackling Safe Language Adoption Challenges (2022-2026) As core faculty in the DistriNet research group, he collaborates on international projects advancing secure software development practices with emphasis on practical deployment of security mechanisms in production environments.
Anthony Cleve is a Full Professor in information system evolution at the University of Namur, Faculty of Computer Science. He serves as President of the Faculty Council and is a member of the Council of the Academic Body (COACA). Cleve is affiliated with the PReCISE research center and the Namur Digital Institute (NADI), where he leads the Data-Intensive Systems Evolution Lab. He holds a PhD in Computer Science (2009) and an MSc in Computer Science (2004) from the University of Namur, along with a Bachelor in Economics and Management. Prior to his current position, Cleve was an ERCIM post-doctoral research fellow at INRIA Lille (2009-2010) and worked as a visiting researcher at CWI, Amsterdam (2005-2006). Professor Cleve's research focuses on information system maintenance and evolution, with particular expertise in software and data reverse engineering, program analysis and transformation, and self-adaptive systems. His work bridges theoretical computer science with practical applications, especially in database engineering, system migration, and co-evolution of databases and programs. More recently, his research has expanded into applying computer science techniques to French-Sign language alignment and translation. His research output shows a strong trend toward microservices architecture, data access patterns, and visualization techniques for understanding complex software systems. Cleve has been actively developing tools like DENIM for exploring data access in microservices environments, demonstrating his commitment to practical solutions for contemporary software engineering challenges. Scientific Awards Namurois of the year 2022, Sciences category Best Paper Award at the 20th IEEE Working Conference on Source Code Analysis and Manipulation (SCAM 2020), NIER track Best Paper Award at the 2016 International Conference on Software Quality, Reliability and Security (QRS 2016) Nominated for the Cor Baayen Award 2012 IBM Belgium / FRS-FNRS 2010 Award for best PhD thesis in Computer Science ERCIM "Alain Bensoussan" Post-doctoral Fellowship (2009-2010) Professor Cleve actively mentors students and researchers, serving as promoter/supervisor for several PhD candidates. He has secured significant research funding through multiple projects including RAINDROP, INSTINCT, and various projects on database schema evolution in microservices applications. His research group collaborates extensively with institutions across Europe. He leads the Data-Intensive Systems Evolution Lab at the Namur Digital Institute (NADI) and is a key member of the Namur Institute of Language, Text and Transmediality (NaLTT), where he applies his expertise to sign language processing challenges. His lab focuses on developing practical tools and methodologies for system evolution, with recent work emphasizing microservices architectures and data access patterns.
Seppe Terryn is a Researcher at the Department of Applied Mechanics , Vrije Universiteit Brussel, specializing in self-healing soft robotics . He leads EU FET project SHERO, Marie Curie ITN SMART, and FWO SBO AMSER, focusing on self-healing polymers/composites , additive manufacturing , and self-healing sensors/actuators . With a team of 9 PhD students, he bridges fundamental research and industrial applications. Education: MSc Mechanical Engineering (2014), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (with highest distinction) PhD in Robotics (2019), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (with highest distinction) His research spans Robotics , Polymers , and Self-healing materials , advancing self-healing soft robots through reversible chemistry. Key contributions include origami vacuum actuators , electrical impedance tomography sensors , and reprocessable polymer networks . His 15 most recent works highlight trends in self-healing sensors , multimaterial additive manufacturing , and robotic durability . Collaborations include Brubotics and FYSC (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), with industrial translation of self-healing technologies. Scientific Awards: Best Paper Award Robosoft 2023 Best Poster Award (3rd place) 2024 BiR&D Cross-Disciplinary PhD Award 2020 Laureate of EOS-magazine 2018 NCTAM Award (2nd place) 2019 He has supervised 9 PhD students in projects like SHERO, SMART, and AMSER, aiming to enhance TRL-levels of self-healing soft robots. His work integrates smart materials with robotic systems , emphasizing sustainability and human-centered design.
Quentin Stiévenart is a post-doctoral researcher at the Software Languages Lab of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium, specializing in programming languages and program analysis. His research spans multiple areas within static and dynamic analysis, with a particular focus on WebAssembly security and analysis techniques. His primary research interests include: Static and dynamic program analysis Abstract interpretation Type systems and effect systems Concurrent and higher-order programming languages WebAssembly security and analysis Interpreter and framework design Stiévenart's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on compositional and modular analysis techniques, particularly applied to WebAssembly. His work addresses critical security concerns in WebAssembly, including information flow analysis, binary analysis, and vulnerability detection. He has also contributed to frameworks for static analysis of higher-order languages and techniques for improving analysis performance through parallelism and incremental computation. His academic service includes extensive peer review activities and program committee membership for major conferences including SAS, SCAM, ICFP, ECOOP, and OOPSLA, with a particular emphasis on artifact evaluation committees. Stiévenart has developed several research tools including Wassail (a static analysis tool for WebAssembly security), MAF (a framework for modular static analyses), and Scala-AM (a framework for developing static analyses in Scala).
Eduard Baranov is a Visiting Lecturer and Research Assistant at the Université catholique de Louvain, affiliated with the Louvain Polytechnic School (EPL) through the Computer Engineering Center (INGI) under the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Electronics and Applied Mathematics (ICTEAM). His work bridges academic research with industrial applications. Research Interests : Software engineering, formal methods, cybersecurity, autonomous systems, and model checking. His focus spans scalable coverage estimation, secure healthcare systems, and statistical validation of privacy protocols. Publications : Recent work includes t-wise coverage algorithms for software testing, formal verification of multi-agent autonomous systems, and privacy-preserving frameworks aligned with GDPR standards. His research often integrates symbolic execution and statistical model checking. Collaborations : Collaborates with researchers like Axel Legay, Kuldeep S. Meel, and Thomas Given-Wilson, contributing to journals such as IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering and ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology. Contact : Email: eduard.baranov@uclouvain.be | Office: INGI - Réaumur, L5.02.01, Place Sainte Barbe 2, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve.
