December 2025 - SEG-staff

Seminar Presentations
by Timo Kehrer 19 Dec '25

19 Dec '25

Dear all, If not yet not done, for the seminar presentations we have seen so far: Could you please ask the students you supervised to send you their slides and forward them to me or, even better, put them directly into the seminar GitLab project. Thanks! Best, Timo

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Fwd: VARIABILITY 2026 submission assignment
by Timo Kehrer 18 Dec '25

18 Dec '25

Dear all, As always, if anybody is interested to do a sub-review, please let me know (for papers, please see below). Best, Timo -------- Weitergeleitete Nachricht -------- Betreff: VARIABILITY 2026 submission assignment Datum: Wed, 17 Dec 2025 16:57:52 +0100 Von: VARIABILITY 2026 - Research Track 1st Cycle <variability2026-research-r1(a)easychair.org> An: Timo Kehrer <timo.kehrer(a)unibe.ch> [Sie erhalten nicht häufig E-Mails von variability2026-research-r1(a)easychair.org. Weitere Informationen, warum dies wichtig ist, finden Sie unter https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification ] Dear Timo, Please find below the list of submissions assigned to you for reviewing. To access submissions assigned to you, you should log in to EasyChair for VARIABILITY 2026 and click on the Reviews menu tab. The deadline for your reviews is 31 January 2026. We will send out review instructions in a seprarate email. Please do not hestiate to contact us if you have any questions. Best regards, Ina & Thorsten (PC Co-Chairs) --------------------------------------------- (7) Attention Investment of Tracing Features with Embedded Annotations (12) Reasoning about variability models through network analysis (18) Feedback-Driven Insights from Forked SPL Developments

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[Software Engineering Seminar] Updated Presentation Schedule
by Spieler, Jonas (INF) 15 Dec '25

15 Dec '25

Hi everyone, Please find below the updated table for our seminar presentations tomorrow. Best, Jonas Dec. 16 | 08:30 - 09:00 |Gian Mader - Assessing the EMBAG Effect on GitHub OSS: Repository Creation and Developer Activity Dec. 16 | 09:00 - 09:30 | Felix Merz - [T0064] Android Tainter Dec. 16 | 09:30 - 10:00 | Susanne Liskova - Trust VR - mobile game for parents Dec. 16 | 10:00 - 10:30 | Fabian Schwarz - [T0057] Dental Software Dec. 16 | 10:30 - 11:00 | Michael Kaiser - [T0007] Nostr Discovery Dec. 16 | 11:00 - 11:30 | Andrea Gribi, Iason Katsikis - [T0047] Regression testing for UAVs Dec. 16 | 11:30 - 12:00 | Anouk Martinez, Atilla Mammadzada, Palapurackal, Deepak - [T0048] Role of personas in merge resolutions

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Reminder: Open Door Policy
by Timo Kehrer 14 Dec '25

14 Dec '25

Dear all, Hopefully clear to all of you, but let me just remind you that, whenever you feel that something is off, please feel free to come to me. My door, both physical and virtual, is always open. This also applies to any concerns with the SEG website, where I learnt that not everyone feels entirely comfortable with the presentation of the group members. Not sure if this is about the recent update on the grouping of team members, which we just aligned with the university's official employment designations to stay consistent with other representations, such as the one on the institute's website: https://www.inf.unibe.ch/ueber_uns/forschungsgruppen/software_engineering_g… We still deviate a bit, since we use role names like Senior Researcher, Postdoctoral Researcher, Researcher, or PhD Student, while the university essentially distinguishes only between "Oberassistent" and "Assistent" (in English: Senior Research Assistants and Research Assistants). Deviation is on purpose, as Assistant might be confused with our Student Assistants (which are not listed on the institute's website). I'd like to remind you that our website is a living document that we try to keep as up-to-date as possible, which is not always easy. So, I am happy about any suggestions for update and improvement. Best, Timo

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PhD Defense online access info
by Boll, Marian Alexander (INF) 13 Dec '25

13 Dec '25

Dear all, Here is the info for the online access for my defense on Tuesday 16:30 in E8 room 002. We offer two streams of the talk, but only the zoom session will allow you to ask questions in the discussion. Live-Stream (for presentation only, no discussion possible, but better video quality): https://tobira.unibe.ch/!s/D3oa34OIXR5 Zoom-Meeting (join if you want to ask questions after the talk): https://unibe-ch.zoom.us/j/9962751473?pwd=eHlla2wrQlZ4SFhROHlHaDRQOElVZz09 Meeting-ID: 996 275 1473 Login Code: 3012 Afterward, let us meet in the Schmiede for an Apéro. Cheers and see or hear you then Alex

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Fw: Spreading the word: Study on AI-generated academic websites
by Panichella, Sebastiano (INF) 09 Dec '25

09 Dec '25

Dear SEG colleagues, Oriane Pierrès from UZH is looking for participants in one of her studies on "Study on AI-generated academic websites." If you're interested, I've forwarded her email. Cheers, Sebastiano ________________________________ From: Oriane Pierrès <oriane.pierres(a)dsi.uzh.ch> Sent: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 9:24 AM To: Panichella, Sebastiano (INF) <sebastiano.panichella(a)unibe.ch> Subject: Spreading the word: Study on AI-generated academic websites You don't often get email from oriane.pierres(a)dsi.uzh.ch. Learn why this is important<https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification> Dear Sebastiano, Thank you for accepting to spread the word at the university of Bern. You can find the email invitation below and in the attachments, I put the flyer I prepared for the study. I wish you a nice day! Warm regards, Oriane Email invitation: Subject: Invitation to Participate in a Study on AI-Generated Academic Websites Dear fellow researchers, Do you have a personal academic website? Would you like to contribute to research on the potential of AI platforms to generate academic websites? If so, I would be delighted to have you join my study! Who can participate? * Researchers (from PhD candidate to professors)... * ... and who own a personal academic website. * No coding experience is required. You will use an AI platform called Lovable, which allows you to describe your desired website in natural language. What will you be asked to do? * Complete a short pre-study survey (approx. 5 minutes) * Generate a website using Lovable by following a few simple instructions (approx. 30 minutes) * Complete a final survey (approx. 10 minutes) When can you participate? * Participation is open from December 8, 2025 to January 5, 2026 * Earlier participation is very much appreciated. It helps a fellow colleague stay on schedule 😉 As a thank you for your participation: * You will receive a 10 CHF voucher * You may keep the generated website code for your own use Questions? Feel free to contact Dr. Oriane Pierrès at Oriane.pierres(a)dsi.uzh.ch<mailto:Oriane.pierres@dsi.uzh.ch> Ready to participate? Please fill out the pre-study survey<https://www.uzh.ch/zi/cl/surveys/index.php/469669?lang=en>. Further information will be sent to you by email shortly afterwards. Thank you very much for your time and interest. I wish you a wonderful day. Warm regards, Oriane Pierrès Post-doc, AI Buddy project Digital Society Initiative (DSI) Rämistrasse 69 8001 Zürich Personal profile on the<https://www.dsi.uzh.ch/de/people/researchers/dsi-postdocs/opierres.html> <https://www.dsi.uzh.ch/de/people/researchers/dsi-postdocs/opierres.html> DSI website<https://www.dsi.uzh.ch/de/people/researchers/dsi-postdocs/opierres.html>

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PhD Defense and After-Care
by Boll, Marian Alexander (INF) 09 Dec '25

09 Dec '25

Dear colleagues, I kindly invite you to join my defense* next week on Tuesday (16.12.) 16:30 at Engehalde 8, Seminarraum 109. I would be glad if you'd also join an Apéro at the Schmiede afterward. If the weather allows it and people are in the mood, we may then go to the Sternenmarkt for a Glühwy. Cheers Alex *Dissertation Title: Bridging the Data Desert: Mitigating Challenges of Model Accessibility in Simulink Research Abstract: Simulink is the industry standard for model-driven development in safety-critical domains such as automotive, aerospace, and medical devices. However, empirical research in the context of Simulink faces a persistent challenge: a scarcity of high-quality, industry-representative models that are essential for rigorous tool evaluation, empirical validation, and reproducible studies. This scarcity not only slows down scientific progress but also contributes to a replication crisis in the field -- primarily due to the unavailability of experimental models. This thesis addresses this challenge through three interconnected contributions, grounded in a multi-method approach that includes a systematic literature review, empirical case studies, community surveys, dataset analysis, and tool prototyping and validation: * A diagnosis of model scarcity demonstrating that the lack of models limits the ability to conduct empirical research and also contributes to only 9\% of Simulink tool studies meeting replicability criteria (i.e., all artifacts available). * An assessment of existing open-source Simulink models and datasets, evaluating their suitability for empirical research and investigating their limitations in scale, complexity, and industrial realism. Through case studies -- including model matching, analyzing bus architecture of Simulink models, and investigating commenting practices -- we demonstrate that open-source models, while imperfect, can serve as valuable research subjects for empirical investigation when carefully selected and used appropriately. * To address the lack of (i) large-scale and (ii) industry-representative models, we developed two novel tools: (i) GRANDSLAM, a linearly scaling synthesizer for Simulink that generates models with adjustable properties, enabling the synthesis of very large open-source models; (ii) SMOKE, a model anonymizer that removes sensitive information from Simulink models while preserving their structural properties, thus facilitating the sharing of real-world models without violating intellectual property constraints. Our work complements and extends contemporary datasets by showing their suitability for empirical research and providing tools for their expansion. By lowering the barriers to data access, we advance open science in model-driven engineering, enabling replicable studies, specifically large-scale studies that were previously infeasible. The contributions of this thesis are foundational: they narrow the "data desert" in Simulink research and foster collaboration through shareable resources. Beyond immediate applications, our tools and findings support standardized benchmarks, comparative tool evaluations, and longitudinal studies of modeling practices -- ultimately strengthening the empirical rigor and industrial relevance of Simulink research. In summary, this thesis provides both the evidence of a critical gap in Simulink research and practical solutions to address it, offering a pathway toward more transparent, reproducible, and impactful model-driven engineering.

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Annual Actual A+ Academic Achievements (5A 2025)
by Boll, Marian Alexander (INF) 03 Dec '25

03 Dec '25

Dear all, you are hereby cordially invited to send to me your submissions for your actual academic achievements of this year. Publications are one thing, but the real currency to be measured by are: * Most dramatic paper title (title or subtitle) * Best acronym (for a tool or approach) * Most beautiful figure/plot (non-vector graphics are desk rejected) * Most fitting meme used in a talk Just DM me or email me your submission. I will sponsor prizes. The winners will be announced on our next tenure meeting. Cheers Alex

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1st International Workshop on AI Code QUality, Integrity & REliability
by Christian Cachin 03 Dec '25

03 Dec '25

FYI, please consider this workshop colocated with EDCC (European Dependable Computing Conference) next year. ACQUIRE 2026 The 1st International Workshop on AI Code QUality, Integrity & REliability Tue 7 April 2026, Canterbury, UK https://acquire-workshop.github.io/2026/index.html Large Language Models are already writing, reviewing, and repairing code, yet the community lacks a rigorous, shared basis for judging whether these AI-produced artifacts are dependable throughout real software lifecycles. Today’s emphasis on benchmark accuracy obscures risks that matter in practice: silent hallucinations, insecure toolchains and prompts, brittle behavior under distribution shift, opaque provenance, and evidence that cannot be audited or reproduced. ACQUIRE’26 responds to this gap by convening AI and Software Engineering researchers and practitioners to refocus the conversation from raw performance to verifiable quality, grounded in auditable taxonomies and metrics, assurance cases and transparent and reproducible evidence. The workshop’s aim is to make AI-for-code not just powerful, but trustworthy and dependable, encompassing all aspects of software quality, including security, maintainability, correctness and performance. We welcome contributions that address the following areas: Quality & assurance: taxonomies, auditable metrics, conformance profiles, and safety/assurance cases for LLMs and agents for code tasks; Security of models & supply chain: threat models spanning models, data, prompts, and toolchains, with provenance, SBOM/AI-BOM, signing, and attestation; Robustness in practice: hallucination detection/mitigation, shift- and fault-tolerance, vulnerability detection and patch quality, and CI/CD gating with runtime guards; Evidence & reproducibility: open benchmarks, standardized reporting for datasets, metrics, prompts, agents, and protocols, and certification-oriented evaluation. Cross-cutting themes include human-AI collaboration (uncertainty display, attribution), and the impact of AI on maintainability and technical debt. We welcome empirical studies, methods, tools, and experience reports, especially those that deliver auditable evidence, align on taxonomies and reporting schemas, advance provenance and attestation practices, and demonstrate robust, reproducible evaluation under real-world and adversarial conditions. Submissions reporting negative results or unexpected findings are also welcome, as they offer valuable insights. -- Christian Cachin email: christian.cachin(a)unibe.ch Cryptology and Data Security Group web: crypto.unibe.ch/cc Institute of Computer Science tel: +41 31 684 8560 University of Bern Neubrückstrasse 10, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland

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Personal/Professioanl Update and Future Plans
by Panichella, Sebastiano (INF) 02 Dec '25

02 Dec '25

Dear all, I would like to share some personal news directly with you, especially since I have noticed that information has started circulating informally, and I believe it is important that you hear it from me first. I have recently accepted an offer to join AI4I – Artificial Intelligence for Industries, the new national AI center in Italy, as Head of Laboratory. This new role will give me a level of independence, autonomy, and leadership that, unfortunately, neither UniBe nor other Swiss institutions were able to offer at this stage of my career. This opportunity represents a natural and timely step forward for me. I want to underline how deeply I value my time within the Software Engineering Group. Working with each of you—scientifically and personally—has been one of the highlights of my career. SEG has shaped the researcher I am today, and I am sincerely grateful for the collaborations, discussions, and support I have received over the last year or so. However, the moment has come for me to build and lead my own team, pursue my research vision with full independence, and develop a laboratory dedicated to my long-term agenda, while maintaining strong scientific ties with SEG. My goal is not to distance myself from the group, but rather to evolve into a new role from which I can continue to collaborate meaningfully with SEG and other groups. Nothing will change abruptly. My official start at AI4I will be part-time from February 2026, with a gradual transition throughout the year. I will continue working with the SEG members already collaborating with me—whom I have informed personally some time ago—and I expect ongoing scientific exchanges and joint initiatives in the future. For the moment, I kindly ask you to keep this information confidential within the group until AI4I oof mysel handle the official communications. I look forward to continuing our interactions over the coming months, and I sincerely hope to maintain—and even strengthen—our collaborations in the long run. SEG will always remain an important scientific home for me. Warm regards, Sebastiano

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SEG-staff December 2025