News

I was Attracted by SnT’s Industry Collaboration Model

  • Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT)
    12 août 2019
  • Catégorie
    Recherche

We welcomed researcher Mike Sabetzadeh to SnT in 2012, and ever since he’s been at the heart of our work in software requirements engineering. Having studied in Canada and held research positions in both the United Kingdom and Norway, he set his sights on Luxembourg and SnT for the international and collaborative environment.

Why did you join SnT in 2012?

There are many factors that make SnT attractive. First and foremost, I was very much interested in the type of industry collaborations that SnT runs. This was a big determining factor, as I had really enjoyed working with industry and wanted to do more of it. Another important aspect was the fact that SnT is very international. And last but not least, I find Luxembourg to be a very nice place in terms of living standards – that definitely contributed to the decision to move here.

What was your first project?

My first project was with satellite company, SES. The project was very successful and is in fact still ongoing alongside new projects that we have started with SES and several other partners since. The idea of the project is that many software systems have their requirements specified in natural language, often English. A lot of issues can arise in such requirements, for example, incompleteness and inconsistency. These issues have to be identified and resolved, and in this project we provided automated techniques mostly using artificial intelligence algorithms for identifying potential quality issues in requirements.

Do you have any advice for someone who would like to make a career in research or working in research center like SnT?

The advice I would have for people wanting to pursue a career in research is to consider carefully the impact of their research. In our field, IT, I think it is important to keep research properly grounded in practical needs, and to evaluate research on this basis. I think SnT has a lot to offer in this respect, providing an ideal environment for applied research. I hope more research centers will start to put as much emphasis as SnT does on addressing complex industrial problems.

What are the biggest changes that happened while you were here?

SnT was much smaller when I joined. Our rapid expansion year over year is something that is quite noticeable. Another major change is in the research funding ecosystem, with the national funding agency FNR now providing much wider support for industry collaborations and entrepreneurship through its programmes. The result has been that, while we remain a research-driven institute, we now have very good coverage of the innovation cycle that comes after research as well.

Can you describe SnT?

SnT is a dynamic, vibrant research center driven by making a positive societal and economic impact and at the same time meeting the highest standards at an international level in terms of academic work. I feel privileged to be part of SnT!

    

SnT is turning 10! We’ve come a long way since launching our activities in 2009. Stay tuned for a year full of celebrations, cutting-edge research, and new milestones.

OVER 40 INDUSTRY PARTNERS | MORE THAN 70 EUROPEAN PROJECTS | 103 GRADUATED PHDS | 4 SPIN-OFFS