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 investigates how software engineering must evolve as artificial intelligence becomes an active participant in the conception, development, operation, and evolution of software systems.

Sedna was originally established to advance trustworthy IoT-enabled systems, with an initial focus on the dependable integration of software, sensing, communication, and control. That mandate has evolved considerably over the years. Today, Sedna studies the broader transformation of software engineering brought about by generative AI, autonomous agents, increasingly adaptive systems, and the growing complexity of digital and cyber-physical environments.

Our Research

We investigate how software engineering can support:

• Human-AI collaboration across the software lifecycle

• Requirements discovery, analysis, and refinement

• Creation of models and specifications

• Generation, analysis, and critique of software artifacts

• 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.

📌 Stay connected with Sedna Lab on LinkedIn for research updates, publications, opportunities, and lab news.