Howdy!

Welcome to the AS²ERT Lab (AI for Safe Software Engineering and Testing) at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). Our broader research goal is to develop methods that help build reliable and safe software systems. Much of our work focuses on automated program analysis, testing, debugging, and repair. In particular, we study how modern AI techniques, including LLMs and agentic systems, can be used responsibly to improve software safety and quality at scale.

AS²ERT lab is founded and led by Dr. Soneya Binta Hossain, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at UTD. She earned her Ph.D. and M.S in Computer Science from the University of Virginia, where her research explored AI-driven approaches to automated software testing. She earned her B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).

Research Interests

Automated testing and test oracles ICSE’23 FSE’ 23 ICSE-DS’ 24 ICSE’ 25 FSE’ 25
Requirements-aware software testing FSE’ 25
Automated bug localization and debugging NIPS’ 24
AI-assisted program repair FSE ’24
Data-centric foundations for reliable testing
Automated testing for quantum software

🚨 We are hiring PhD students!

The AS²ERT Lab is recruiting graduate students who are genuinely interested in advancing the field of Software Engineering. Prospective students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with our recent publications and to reach out with their thoughts on (1) limitations in existing work and (2) potential directions for addressing those limitations. The lab values a research culture grounded in intellectual ownership, high standards, deep technical engagement, and principled disagreement followed by commitment. To learn more, please refer to the Amazon Leadership Principles .

Remote internships: We welcome applications from international students interested in remote internship opportunities. Please reach out via email.

Undergraduate Research

The AS²ERT Lab is committed to mentoring motivated undergraduate students and to preparing the next generation of researchers in Software Engineering. UTD’s RIDE (Research, Inquiry, Design Experience) program provides a strong framework for introducing undergraduates to research in a structured and supportive manner. Through RIDE, projects are carefully scoped to help students formulate meaningful research questions, develop and rigorously evaluate technical solutions, and communicate their results at a standard appropriate for scholarly dissemination.

Project 1 (RIDE 033): Resilient LLM-based test generation for buggy code.
Project 2 (RIDE 045): Benchmarks and bug taxonomies for quantum software testing.
Project 3 (RIDE 041): Automated, test-aware software documentation.
Project 4 (RIDE 041): High-quality datasets for rigorous testing research.
Project 5 (RIDE 041): Intent-aware automated testing.

UTD undergraduates: please email your resume and transcript (unofficial is fine), along with a brief explanation of which project you are interested in and why.