Research
Modern computing systems are increasingly shaped by the convergence of AI, large-scale software infrastructures, data, and physical environments. This convergence creates new opportunities, but also fundamental challenges concerning reliability, safety, security, trustworthiness, scalability, and human interaction.
At IDeaLS Lab, we investigate these challenges across several interconnected research directions:
Research
Research 01
AI for Software Engineering & Software Engineering for AI
We investigate how Machine Learning, Generative AI, Large Language Models, and AI agents can transform software development, testing, maintenance, evolution, and operation. At the same time, we study how Software Engineering principles can help build reliable, secure, reproducible, and trustworthy AI systems.
Research 02
Trustworthy AI & Intelligent Systems
We develop methodologies for engineering AI-enabled systems that are reliable, transparent, responsible, robust, and dependable. Our research addresses challenges related to trustworthy Generative AI, AI-assisted development, explainability, evaluation, safety, and responsible AI.
Research 03
Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems & Robotics
We investigate how software, AI, sensors, networks, and physical components can be integrated into safe and dependable autonomous systems. Applications include drones, robotics, autonomous vehicles, smart mobility, industrial systems, and intelligent infrastructures.
Research 04
AI Engineering, MLOps, DevOps & Cloud Computing
We develop approaches for engineering the lifecycle of AI-intensive and large-scale software systems, including automated development and deployment pipelines, continuous integration and delivery, model monitoring, data and model evolution, scalability, and reliability.
Research 05
Data-driven Software Engineering & Empirical Research
We use large-scale software repositories, developer data, empirical methods, Natural Language Processing, and Data Science to understand how software is developed and maintained and to create evidence-based technologies for improving software quality and developer productivity.
Our approach
From Fundamental Research to Real-World Impact
There are no “basic” or “applied” researchers, only research in different states.
We move between fundamental inquiry and real-world application as the research question, the technological opportunity and the societal or industrial challenge require.
Funded by
Collaboration
Research in Action
Current topics
Selected projects
All grants and projects →Network
Research Ecosystem & Collaborations
The IDeaLS Lab hosts this network. Industrial partners bring real-world problems, technologies, datasets and operating environments; academic partners strengthen methods, scientific exchange and international visibility.
Industry
Industrial & Innovation Ecosystem
I collaborate with large technology companies, start-ups and research-driven enterprises in aerospace, robotics, automotive, healthcare, cloud computing, railways and industrial automation. The collaborations cover joint projects, funding proposals, technology transfer and Bachelor’s and Master’s theses; the table lists a selection.
| Organization | Country | Period | Research Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leonardo S.p.A. | Italy | 2026-02–Today | Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems, Software Engineering |
| Cubbit | Italy | 2026-02–Today | Cloud Computing, Distributed Systems, AI-enabled Infrastructure |
| NXP | Netherlands | 2025-05–Today | Embedded Systems, Cyber-Physical Systems |
| Hygeia Hospitals | Greece | 2025-06–Today | Healthcare, AI, Data Analytics |
| TKMS ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH | Germany | 2025-05–Today | Safety-Critical Systems, Autonomous Technologies |
| BioAssist | Greece | 2025-06–Today | Biopharmaceutical R&D, AI, Software Engineering |
| Institut für angewandte Systemtechnik Bremen GmbH (ATB) | Germany | 2025-05–Today | Industrial AI, Cyber-Physical Systems |
| PAL ROBOTICS SLU | Spain | 2025-06–Today | Robotics, Autonomous Systems |
| JetBrains | Netherlands | 2025-05–Today | Software Engineering Tools, Developer Productivity |
| LOXO | Switzerland | 2025-04–Today | Autonomous Driving Technologies |
| Tahereh Zohdinasab (Sonova Group) | Switzerland | 2024-09–Today | Software Engineering, Data Analytics |
| Genedata | Switzerland | 2024-01–Today | Biopharmaceutical R&D, AI/ML |
| Terraview | Switzerland | 2021-05–Today | Agriculture, AI-based Systems |
| Stadler Signalling AG | Switzerland | 2022-05–Today | Mobility, Safety-Critical Systems |
| ANYbotics | Switzerland | 2021-10–Today | Autonomous Robots, Robotics Software |
| LEDCity | Switzerland | 2021-12–Today | AI-based Optimization, Smart Systems |
| BeamNG | Germany | 2020-06–Today | Simulation, Autonomous Vehicles Testing |
| ARQUIMEA | Spain | 2020-02–Today | Autonomous Vehicles, Aerospace Systems |
| BOND | Switzerland | 2019-10–2021 | Smart Mobility, eBikes |
| Helio | Switzerland | 2019-10–Today | Computational Systems |
| Siemens Healthcare GmbH | Germany | 2019-05–Today | Healthcare Software Systems |
| Intelligentia S.r.l. | Italy | 2020-01–Today | Aerospace, Autonomous Systems |
| AICAS GmbH | Germany | 2020-01–Today | Automotive Software |
| Q-media s.r.o. | Czech Republic | 2020-01–Today | Railway Systems |
| Unparallel Innovation LDA | Portugal | 2019-01–Today | Water-Smart Systems |
| smide | Switzerland | 2019-01–2020 | Smart Mobility, eBikes |
| The Open Group | Belgium | 2019-01–Today | Open Standards, Digital Transformation |
| Siemens AG | Germany | 2019-01–Today | DevOps, Industrial Software Systems |
| GMV | Spain | 2019-01–Today | Aviation, Autonomous Systems |
| Red Hat | Switzerland | 2018–Today | DevOps, Cloud-native Software Engineering |
| Haidar Osman (Swisscom) | Switzerland | 2018–Today | Data Science, Artificial Intelligence |
| VSHN | Switzerland | 2018–2019 | DevOps, Cloud Platforms |
| Ikubinfo | Austria | 2018–Today | DevOps, Software Engineering |
| Daniele Romano (ING) | Netherlands | 2017–Today | DevOps, Software Engineering |
| Junji Shimagaki (Sony Mobile Communications) | Japan | 2016–2018 | Mobile Software Engineering |
Academia
International Academic Research Network
Academic collaborators come from universities and research institutes in the following countries, among others. The collaborations include joint publications, international projects, research visits and PhD and postdoctoral mentoring; the table lists a selection.
Italy
Switzerland
Germany
Netherlands
Spain
France
Belgium
Luxembourg
Austria
Finland
Norway
United Kingdom
United States
Canada
Australia
Japan
China
Chile
| Researcher | Institution | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Jane Cleland-Huang | University of Notre Dame, USA | 2024–Today |
| Pablo Sánchez-Molina | University of Malaga, Spain | 2024–Today |
| Aldeida Aleti | Monash University, Australia | 2023–Today |
| Catia Trubiani | Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI), Italy | 2024–Today |
| Anna Rita Fasolino | University of Naples, Italy | 2023–Today |
| Fiorella Zampetti | University of Sannio, Italy | 2017–Today |
| Alexandre Bergel | University of Chile | 2024–Today |
| Sasa Miladinovic | HES-SO Valais-Wallis, Switzerland | 2023–Today |
| Diane de Zélicourt | University of Zurich, Switzerland | 2022–Today |
| Giovanni Guizzo | University College London, UK | 2021–2023 |
| Anand Sawant | University of California Davis, USA | 2020–2022 |
| Pooja Rani | University of Zurich, Switzerland | 2018–Today |
| Pouria Derakhshanfar | Previously Delft University of Technology; currently JetBrains | 2021–2022 |
| Rafael Kallis | Independent Researcher / Rafael Kallis Consulting | 2019–Today |
| Leonardo Militano | Zurich University of Applied Sciences | 2019–Today |
| Alessio Gambi | Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), Austria | 2019–Today |
| Sebastian Proksch | Delft University of Technology, Netherlands | 2018–2019 |
| Karina Villela | Fraunhofer IESE, Germany | 2018–Today |
| Emitza Guzman | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands | 2015–2017 |
| Myra Cohen | University of Nebraska, USA | 2023–Today |
| Paolo Arcaini | National Institute of Informatics (NII), Japan | 2023–Today |
| Patricia Lago | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands | 2023–Today |
| Ivano Malavolta | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands | 2023–Today |
| Vincenzo Riccio | University of Udine, Italy | 2020–Today |
| Alessandra Gorla | IMDEA Software Institute, Spain | 2020–Today |
| Alexander Serebrenik | Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands | 2020–Today |
| Vincent Hellendoorn | Carnegie Mellon University, USA | 2019–Today |
| Xavier Devroey | Université de Namur, Belgium | 2020–Today |
| Gordon Fraser | University of Passau, Germany | 2020–Today |
| Aitor Arrieta Marcos | Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Spain | 2020–Today |
| Prof. Scaramuzza | University of Zurich, Switzerland | 2019–Today |
| Domenico Bianculli | University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg | 2019–Today |
| Fabrizio Pastore | University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg | 2019–Today |
| Gregorio Robles | Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain | 2018–Today |
| Damian A. Tamburri | University of Sannio, Italy | 2019–Today |
| Paolo Tonella | University of Lugano, Switzerland | 2019–Today |
| Shaukat Ali | Simula Research Laboratory, Norway | 2018–Today |
| Davide Taibi | University of Oulu, Finland | 2019–Today |
| Oscar Nierstrasz | University of Bern, Switzerland | 2018–2022 |
| Timo Kehrer | University of Bern, Switzerland | 2021–Today |
| Yu Zhou | Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China | 2016–Today |
| Taolue Chen | Birkbeck, University of London, UK | 2016–Today |
| Andy Zaidman | Delft University of Technology, Netherlands | 2016–Today |
| Aaron Visaggio | University of Foggia, Italy | 2015–Today |
| Venera Arnaoudova | Washington State University, USA | 2015–Today |
| Harald Gall | University of Zurich, Switzerland | 2014–Today |
| Gabriele Bavota | University of Lugano, Switzerland | 2013–2015 |
| Gerardo Canfora | University of Sannio, Italy | 2011–Today |
| Massimiliano Di Penta | University of Sannio, Italy | 2011–Today |
| Andrea De Lucia | University of Salerno, Italy | 2009–Today |
Research Impact
Recognition
Awards include Best Paper, Most Influential Paper and Distinguished Reviewer Awards.