Introducing the Research Group
The Chair of Model-Based Engineering (MBE) at the University of Siegen focuses on the holistic development and quality assurance of modern software systems. The emphasis is on model-driven approaches that systematically support the entire software life cycle—from design and analysis through testing to evolution.
In its teaching, the chair provides in-depth knowledge of software engineering and database systems and is aimed at computer science students in bachelor’s and master’s programs.
Research encompasses topics such as model-based software development, software testing, program analysis, variant management, quantum software engineering, and the use of large language models (LLMs) and AI-based agents in software engineering. The focus is particularly on complex, embedded, and safety-critical systems.
You can find more information about our work here.
Our Research Profile
Guiding Principles of Our Research
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Understanding and mastering the complexity, quality, and variability of modern software systems.
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Understanding and controlling the behavior of software systems in evolving application contexts at all times.
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Grounding solution approaches in theory while also making them usable through practical tools.
Research Focus Areas
We draw on the canonical fields of software engineering, although holistic solution approaches must, by their very nature, cut across these fields.
Software Project Management: Process models for modern software projects integrate novel development principles.
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Agility: Change scenarios of all kinds are becoming the new norm.
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Continuity: The artificial boundaries between the classic life cycles of software (development, quality assurance, maintenance, evolution) are effectively dissolving.
Software Development: Specification models for modern software systems capture essential characteristics of cyber-physical software systems.
- Computation: Classical (discrete) process and automaton models.
- Control: Hybrid (discrete/continuous) behavioral models for combinations of traditional and intelligent components.
- Communication: Modeling concurrency, distributed systems, and mobility.
Software Quality. Quality assurance measures for modern software systems enable a controllable trade-off between efficiency and effectiveness.
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Comprehensive unit tests and regression tests are becoming standard practice.
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Traceability and automation of quality assurance measures are becoming compatible goals.
Software Configuration. Configuration management for modern software systems encompasses concepts for the systematic handling of
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variability in space (software systems with many variants),
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variability over time (version management), and
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variability at runtime (self-adaptive software systems).
Research Projects
Research Focus Areas
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Software Project Management
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Software Development
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Software Quality
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Software Configuration
