Double Debut – Inaugural lectures by Flavio Toffalini and Yannic Noller

Yannic Noller has been Professor of Software Quality at the Faculty of Computer Science since July 2024. He develops methods for automated error detection and repair in software code. Until now, this has often been done in two separate processes. Noller is researching methods that alert developers to errors in their code and at the same time suggest solutions that fit in with the existing logic of the rest of the program code.

Lecture abstract:

In this lecture, I will reflect on my journey toward making software “better” (i.e., more resilient) through automated software engineering. We will explore key approaches and techniques for automatically detecting bugs and vulnerabilities, and generating corresponding patches. I will begin by discussing the roles of fuzzing and symbolic execution in automated testing and repair, including their integration for differential analysis. This will lead into a case study on the detection, quantification, and repair of software side-channel vulnerabilities. Next, I will delve into automated program repair using semantic analysis and hybrid techniques, addressing both traditional software and machine learning models. I will also highlight our recent initiatives to enhance computer science education through automation. Finally, I will present my latest work at the intersection of repair, formal methods, and large language models, and share a vision for the future of software engineering.