The research of the Chair of Software Engineering focuses on core problems related to the longevity of systems. Software systems need to be updated when the technologies they are based on are modernized. In this context, "software comprehension" is a central hurdle, referring to the question of how existing software systems can be effectively understood by developers. Software systems also need to be adapted when user requirements change. User-oriented design approaches such as Human-Centered Design contribute to a better understanding of the application context.
New developments, such as the increasing industrial use of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), pose additional challenges for software longevity. ML/AI holds the promise that software can autonomously adapt to changing circumstances to some extent in the future. One of the key questions here is how software development must change when incorporating ML/AI components. Additionally, it is important to understand and harness the enormous potential that ML/AI technologies offer in order to improve the development of long-lasting software itself.
In our research, we particularly utilize techniques of model-based software development, empirical methods in software engineering, human-computer interaction, as well as tools for the construction and analysis of software systems.
In terms of teaching, the Chair provides the fundamentals of software engineering, covering analysis, design, implementation, testing, and utilization of software systems. We offer advanced courses on topics such as the construction of domain-specific languages using model-based techniques or software engineering for AI-based systems. Additionally, we provide courses on interaction design and requirements engineering.
In seminars and thesis projects, we convey the latest findings from the research field. For more information on student work at the Chair, you can refer to the proposed topics or reach out to one of the staff members.
News
Paper published in the Empirical Software Engineering Journal: Development and evolution of Xtext-based DSLs on GitHub: an empirical investigation
Dezember 16th 2025
Weixing Zhang's paper “Development and evolution of Xtext-based DSLs on GitHub: an empirical investigation” was publisehd in the Empirical Software Engineering Journal.
Invited presentation at Ruhr University Bochum
November 28th 2025
On November 27, 2025, at the invitation of Prof. Bilal Zafar, Prof. Hebig gave a lecture on "Don't bother to use a second LLM for Test Generation" as part of the AI Lecture Series at Ruhr University Bochum. I would like to express my sincere thanks for the stimulating exchange with the audience and with Prof. Zafar's research group.
PhD Defense Weixing Zhang
October 15, 2025
On October 15, 2025, Weixing Zhang successfully defended his doctoral thesis on the topic: "Evolution of Textual Domain-Specific Languages in the Context of Model-Driven Engineering" at the University of Gothenburg, under the co-supervision of Regina Hebig, Daniel Strüber, and Jan-Philipp Steghöfer.
Invited presentation at the symposium of the AISA Academy Stuttgart
July 4, 2026
On July 3, 2026, Regina Hebig gave an invited presentation at the AISA Academy Stuttgart symposium on "AI for Software Engineering." Many thanks to the symposium organizers for the invitation and the inspiring exchange!
Regina Hebig co-chairing the program of SLE 2025
Juni 14th 2025
SLE is sadly already over. I'm very glad that we were able to successfully organize and implement this event. A huge thank you to everyone who attended SLE 2025 in Koblenz!
Best Paper Award at ECSEE'25
June 5th 2025
Together with Marco Kuhrmann and Jil Klünder we are honored to receive the Best Paper award of ECSEE'25 for the paper “You don't just Use Software Processes, You have to Engineer Them: A Teachers' Experience Report”.
Paper published in SoSym Journal 2025: An empirical study of manual abstraction between class diagrams and code of open-source systems
May 15th 2025
Wenli Zhang's Paper "An empirical study of manual abstraction between class diagrams and code of open-source systems" was published in the Journal Software and Systems Modeling.
Paper published in IST Journal 2025: Don't settle for the first! How many GitHub Copilot solutions should you check?
April 8th 2025
Julian Oertel's paper "Don’t settle for the first! How many GitHub Copilot solutions should you check?" was published in Journal Information and Software Technology.
Contact
Chair for Software Engineering
18059 Rostock
Albert-Einstein-Str. 22
Rooms 264 - 267, 272, 275
Tel.: +49 381-498 7621 (Secretariat)
Fax: +49 381-498 7622
News
On April 28, 2026 at 9:30 a.m., the defense of Alexandru-Nicolae Umlauft's dissertation on the topic "A social robot system for performance-oriented stroke therapy" will take place in room 001 (Konrad-Zuse-Haus).