Ph.D. School (with review process)

ACM SIGSOFT Summer School for Software Engineering in Robotics

by SciVenia Org

June 30, 2025 - July 4, 2025

Delft, Netherlands

CET (GMT+02:00)

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About this event

Curriculum and Activities

Our curriculum is designed to provide a balanced mix of theoretical knowledge and hands-on practice, targeting essential areas of software engineering specifically tailored for robotics.

Main objectives:

1. To provide an intensive, hands-on learning experience in software engineering within the context of robotics.

2. To expose students to research and industry-standard software development practices in the field of robotics.

3. To discuss challenges raised by real-world robotic applications and how software engineering as a research area can enhance their technological maturity

4. To facilitate networking opportunities with leading industry professionals and academics in the field.

The Summer School covers 5 main topics:

Topic 1: Building and Deploying Robotic Systems. This topic will focus on the software and system engineering processes and tools used in constructing and deploying robotic systems, with special attention to continuous integration and deployment.
Topic 2: Robot software architecting and modeling. This topic will introduce students to architecting robotic systems. We will discuss guidelines for architecting robotic systems and present design patterns specific to building robot applications
Topic 3: Deliberation, Planning, and Execution in Robotic Architectures.
This topic will explore the three-tier architecture model commonly used in modern robotic applications, diving into detailed analysis through a few case studies.
Topic 4: Verification and Validation (V&V) of Autonomous Robots. This topic focuses on statistical model checking (SMC) techniques and on high-level decision-making (robot deliberation), which is generally considered to be the most complex layer/component in a typical robotic software stack. Regarding deliberation techniques, we will particularly focus on behavior trees for specifying and executing complex robotic behavior.
Topic 5: Robots in Society. This topic focuses on exploring how robotics is becoming more accessible and integrated into daily life, from democratizing technology for small businesses and individuals to the growing role of social robots in healthcare, education, and customer service. Ethical and regulatory challenges, such as privacy concerns, accountability, and AI transparency will be discussed. The speakers will highlight real-world applications, from assistive robots for aging populations to autonomous systems in public services, while exploring cutting-edge fostering a dialogue on how to ensure a responsible, inclusive, and human-centric approach to robotics, balancing technological progress with ethical considerations.

Organization Committee Members

The primary goal of the school is to bridge the knowledge gap in software engineering for robotics between academia and industry. We aim to offer intensive hands-on training, expose participants to both research and industry-standard practices, and address the nuanced challenges posed by real-world robotic applications. The organization committee is coming from two primary research areas: software engineering and robotics.

Elvin Alberts (VU Amsterdam & TU Delft, Netherlands)
Darko Bozhinoski (SciVenia, Brussels, Belgium)
Davide Brugali, UniBG
Shirley Elprama, IMEC-SMIT, VUB
Carlos Hernandez (Cognitive Robotics, Faculty 3mE, TU Delft, Netherlands)
Michaela Klauck (Robert Bosch GmbH, Germany)

Submission Process

The submission process will be open from April 1st to April 30th. To apply, candidates must submit the following:

Motivation Letter – A brief statement explaining your interest in the summer school, relevant background, and how participation aligns with your academic and professional goals.
CV/Resume – An overview of your education, experience, and relevant skills, and other schools you have attended in the past.

Selected participants will be notified by 10th May, and further details regarding registration and logistics will be provided upon acceptance.

Call for papers

Curriculum and Activities

Our curriculum is designed to provide a balanced mix of theoretical knowledge and hands-on practice, targeting essential areas of software engineering specifically tailored for robotics.

Main objectives:

1. To provide an intensive, hands-on learning experience in software engineering within the context of robotics.

2. To expose students to research and industry-standard software development practices in the field of robotics.

3. To discuss challenges raised by real-world robotic applications and how software engineering as a research area can enhance their technological maturity

4. To facilitate networking opportunities with leading industry professionals and academics in the field.

The Summer School covers 5 main topics:

Topic 1: Building and Deploying Robotic Systems. This topic will focus on the software and system engineering processes and tools used in constructing and deploying robotic systems, with special attention to continuous integration and deployment.
Topic 2: Robot software architecting and modeling. This topic will introduce students to architecting robotic systems. We will discuss guidelines for architecting robotic systems and present design patterns specific to building robot applications
Topic 3: Deliberation, Planning, and Execution in Robotic Architectures.
This topic will explore the three-tier architecture model commonly used in modern robotic applications, diving into detailed analysis through a few case studies.
Topic 4: Verification and Validation (V&V) of Autonomous Robots. This topic focuses on statistical model checking (SMC) techniques and on high-level decision-making (robot deliberation), which is generally considered to be the most complex layer/component in a typical robotic software stack. Regarding deliberation techniques, we will particularly focus on behavior trees for specifying and executing complex robotic behavior.
Topic 5: Robots in Society. This topic focuses on exploring how robotics is becoming more accessible and integrated into daily life, from democratizing technology for small businesses and individuals to the growing role of social robots in healthcare, education, and customer service. Ethical and regulatory challenges, such as privacy concerns, accountability, and AI transparency will be discussed. The speakers will highlight real-world applications, from assistive robots for aging populations to autonomous systems in public services, while exploring cutting-edge fostering a dialogue on how to ensure a responsible, inclusive, and human-centric approach to robotics, balancing technological progress with ethical considerations.

Organization Committee Members

Elvin Alberts (VU Amsterdam & TU Delft, Netherlands)
Darko Bozhinoski (SciVenia, Brussels, Belgium)
Davide Brugali, UniBG
Shirley Elprama, IMEC-SMIT, VUB
Carlos Hernandez (Cognitive Robotics, Faculty 3mE, TU Delft, Netherlands)
Michaela Klauck (Robert Bosch GmbH, Germany)

Submission Process

The submission process will be open from April 1st to April 30th. To apply, candidates must submit the following:

Motivation Letter – A brief statement explaining your interest in the summer school, relevant background, and how participation aligns with your academic and professional goals.
CV/Resume – An overview of your education, experience, and relevant skills, and other schools you have attended in the past.

Selected participants will be notified by 10th May, and further details regarding registration and logistics will be provided upon acceptance.

Curriculum and Activities

Our curriculum is designed to provide a balanced mix of theoretical knowledge and hands-on practice, targeting essential areas of software engineering specifically tailored for robotics.

Main objectives:

1. To provide an intensive, hands-on learning experience in software engineering within the context of robotics.

2. To expose students to research and industry-standard software development practices in the field of robotics.

3. To discuss challenges raised by real-world robotic applications and how software engineering as a research area can enhance their technological maturity

4. To facilitate networking opportunities with leading industry professionals and academics in the field.

The Summer School covers 5 main topics:

Topic 1: Building and Deploying Robotic Systems. This topic will focus on the software and system engineering processes and tools used in constructing and deploying robotic systems, with special attention to continuous integration and deployment.
Topic 2: Robot software architecting and modeling. This topic will introduce students to architecting robotic systems. We will discuss guidelines for architecting robotic systems and present design patterns specific to building robot applications
Topic 3: Deliberation, Planning, and Execution in Robotic Architectures.
This topic will explore the three-tier architecture model commonly used in modern robotic applications, diving into detailed analysis through a few case studies.
Topic 4: Verification and Validation (V&V) of Autonomous Robots. This topic focuses on statistical model checking (SMC) techniques and on high-level decision-making (robot deliberation), which is generally considered to be the most complex layer/component in a typical robotic software stack. Regarding deliberation techniques, we will particularly focus on behavior trees for specifying and executing complex robotic behavior.
Topic 5: Robots in Society. This topic focuses on exploring how robotics is becoming more accessible and integrated into daily life, from democratizing technology for small businesses and individuals to the growing role of social robots in healthcare, education, and customer service. Ethical and regulatory challenges, such as privacy concerns, accountability, and AI transparency will be discussed. The speakers will highlight real-world applications, from assistive robots for aging populations to autonomous systems in public services, while exploring cutting-edge fostering a dialogue on how to ensure a responsible, inclusive, and human-centric approach to robotics, balancing technological progress with ethical considerations.

Organization Committee Members

Elvin Alberts (VU Amsterdam & TU Delft, Netherlands)
Darko Bozhinoski (SciVenia, Brussels, Belgium)
Davide Brugali, UniBG
Shirley Elprama, IMEC-SMIT, VUB
Carlos Hernandez (Cognitive Robotics, Faculty 3mE, TU Delft, Netherlands)
Michaela Klauck (Robert Bosch GmbH, Germany)

Submission Process

The submission process will be open from April 1st to April 30th. To apply, candidates must submit the following:

Motivation Letter – A brief statement explaining your interest in the summer school, relevant background, and how participation aligns with your academic and professional goals.
CV/Resume – An overview of your education, experience, and relevant skills, and other schools you have attended in the past.

Selected participants will be notified by 10th May, and further details regarding registration and logistics will be provided upon acceptance.

ACM SIGSOFT Summer School for Software Engineering in Robotics

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