- SEG-staff - INF Mailman

Call for Additional Reviewers – ICST
by Panichella, Sebastiano (INF) 23 Dec '25

23 Dec '25

Dear colleagues and friends at SEG, The 19th IEEE International Conference on Software Testing, Verification and Validation (ICST - https://conf.researchr.org/home/icst-2026), has been a huge success again this year, with an exceptionally high number of submissions. To ensure a thorough and timely review process, the program committee is seeking additional reviewers. If you are willing to help, please consider volunteering by filling out the following form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7zidN6lc9s5SPSEVmTyfyJx-AM6i8uXz… Your support would be greatly appreciated and would contribute significantly to maintaining the high quality of ICST. I believe it is a great opportunity to be officially in the PC of an international conference. I wish you a nice winter time! Cheers, Sebastiano

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Fwd: TOSEM-2025-1161 - Invitation to Review
by Timo Kehrer 23 Dec '25

23 Dec '25

Dear all, if anybody is interested in reviewing the TOSEM paper below, let me kow. I would then just put your name as a recommendation and give it back to the hands of the handling editor. Best, Timo -------- Weitergeleitete Nachricht -------- Betreff: TOSEM-2025-1161 - Invitation to Review Datum: Mon, 22 Dec 2025 09:03:02 +0000 Von: Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology <onbehalfof(a)manuscriptcentral.com> Antwort an: abhik(a)nus.edu.sg An: timo.kehrer(a)unibe.ch Kopie (CC): xxm(a)nju.edu.cn, abhik(a)nus.edu.sg 22-Dec-2025 Dear Professor Kehrer, I am writing to you on behalf of the Editorial Board of the ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology (TOSEM) regarding the following manuscript, which has been submitted to TOSEM as a Registered Report: An Empirical Study on the Effectiveness and Limitations of Fault Injection Tools for CPS Simulink Models TOSEM-2025-1161 authored by Yadav, Drishti; Mandrioli, Claudio; Bianculli, Domenico The Associate Editor in charge of the paper, Professor Xiaoxing Ma, has identified you as a potential reviewer of the submission. **Important information:** Registered Papers follow a different publication model, which is described here at https://dl.acm.org/journal/tosem/registered-papers, together with reviewer guidance. The review process consists of two stages, and we expect to have the same reviewers for both stages. However, reviewing for the Registered Papers track is generally not much more time-consuming than reviewing a regular TOSEM paper, as in the second stage the reviewers only check that the agreed methodology has been followed and results correctly interpreted. **This Registered Report has been approved by the EIC for a Fast-Impact Track status and workflow for which the turnaround time for a first decision must be completed within 90 days. This status guarantees authors a timely review and, if the paper is accepted, high visibility of top quality papers presenting novel ideas. For additional information about Fast-Impact Track papers please see: https://tosem.acm.org/fastimpacttrackpapers.cfm. Improving turnaround time for TOSEM submissions is a high priority for the Board, immediately behind our continuing focus on publishing extraordinarily high-quality papers. If you can do the review, we expect to receive your report by four weeks from today. If you anticipate needing some additional time to do the review, please provide us with a firm date so that we can decide if that is satisfactory. Our confirmation letter will provide details on how to download the paper and submit your review through Manuscript Central (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tosem). Your rights and responsibilities as a reviewer (https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/roles-and-responsibilities#review…) include your right to limit the number of reviews you do over the course of a year, as well as your responsibility to report any possible conflicts of interest. If we have asked you to review an excessive amount for TOSEM, we would greatly appreciate any suggestions for other qualified referees. If there is a conflict of which we were unaware, please decline to review the manuscript. Please respond within three working days via the links below: *** PLEASE NOTE: This is a two-step process. After clicking on the link, you will be directed to a webpage to confirm. *** Agreed: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tosem?URL_MASK=abf218da5f8a42f1b489883fd6c… Declined: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tosem?URL_MASK=c5f8cb9d15e14c35b502a1c88f4… If you are available to submit a review but require additional time (more than four weeks), please email your request to atemplet(a)gmail.com. High-quality peer-reviewed journals like TOSEM cannot exist without reviews from high-quality peers like yourself. Regardless of whether you can review for TOSEM this time, I personally appreciate your contributions to TOSEM and software engineering research. Sincerely, Abhik Roychoudhury Editor-in-Chief ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology ------------------------------- ABSTRACT Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are deployed in domains where failures can have severe consequences, such as automotive and aerospace. Fault Injection (FI) is a widely used approach to evaluate CPS resilience by perturbing models and observing their behavior under faulty conditions. Simulink, the de facto standard for CPS modeling, has inspired the development of several FI tools; yet existing work has largely focused on presenting individual tools in isolation. To date, no comprehensive empirical evaluation of state-of-the-art FI tools exists. In this stage-one registered report, we first provide an abstract description of Simulink models that allows the rigorous classification of the types of FI. Second, we use this classification to characterize the fault types available in state-of-the-art tools. Third, we report on the research plan for the first systematic evaluation of its kind. This study will allow the quantification of how well FI tools for Simulink support the injection of diverse faults, while preserving model syntax, semantics, and observability. By characterizing their strengths and weaknesses, our study aims to establish a baseline for assessing tool effectiveness and to provide guidance for the design of more effective FI techniques for CPS. -------------------------------

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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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SEG-staff