Sedna

The Sedna Research Lab is part of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ottawa. The lab conducts research on the methods, tools, and foundations needed to engineer trustworthy software systems in which AI plays an active role throughout conception, development, operation, and evolution.

Sedna was originally established to support the development of trustworthy IoT-enabled systems, with an early focus on the dependable integration of software, sensing, communication, and control. Over time, the scope of the lab's research has broadened considerably. Current research examines both the impact of generative AI, autonomous agents, adaptive systems, and increasingly complex digital and cyber-physical environments on software engineering, and the role of software engineering in building such systems responsibly and dependably.

Our Research

Research at Sedna focuses on the following themes:

• Human-AI collaboration across the software lifecycle

• Requirements discovery, analysis, and refinement

• Generation and analysis of models and specifications

• Capture and use of engineering knowledge

• Regulatory interpretation and compliance

• Testing, validation, and evolution of complex systems

• Human agency and responsibility through appropriate guardrails, oversight, and accountability

Our work spans requirements engineering, software verification and testing, model-driven engineering, empirical software engineering, cloud and microservice systems, cyber-physical systems, digital twins, and IoT-enabled automation.

We closely collaborate with industry and public-sector partners to address consequential engineering problems in realistic settings and develop solutions that are rigorous, scalable, and practically useful.

Join Us

We welcome prospective students, postdoctoral fellows, collaborators, and organizations seeking to explore how AI is redefining the way complex software-intensive systems are engineered.

Sedna Lab is strongly committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and the effort, reflection and action required as a community to effect and sustain change.   We strive to create a welcoming space for people of any race, religion, national origin, gender identity, family commitments, political affiliation, sexual orientation, and eligible age or ability.