Publications

Antonio Della Porta, Stefano Lambiase, Valeria Pontillo, João F. Ferreira, Akond A. Rahman, Chaiyong Ragkhitwetsagul, Fabio Palomba (2026). Understanding Prompt Quality and Its Relation to LLM-based Code Generation. In TSE 2026. Q1 journal.

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Isabel Amaral, Álvaro Silva, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes (2026). DafnyFix: Single-Transformation Automated Repair in Dafny. In APR 2026.

Carlos Felgueiras, Luís W. Barbosa, Nuno Saavedra, Alexandra Mendes, João F. Ferreira (2026). Déjà Vu? Redundant Dependencies in Terraform. In CONFLANG 2026.

PDF Code Dataset

Sofia Vieira Pinto, Álvaro Silva, João Pascoal Faria, Alexandra Mendes (2026). DSpec2Test: Specification-Driven Test Generation in Dafny. In ASE 2026. CORE A* conference.
🏆 Artifact Evaluation Badges: Available, Functional, and Reusable.

PDF Code Dataset Video

Álvaro Silva, Rúben Martins, Alexandra Mendes (2026). ProofPulse: Interactive Proof Coverage Analysis for Dafny. In ASE 2026. CORE A* conference.
🏆 Artifact Evaluation Badges: Available, Functional, and Reusable.

PDF Code Dataset Video

Álvaro Silva, Isabel Amaral, João Pascoal Faria, Alexandra Mendes (2026). Improving Debugging in Verification-Aware Languages Through Automated Fault Localization: A Case Study in Dafny. In ISSRE 2026. CORE A conference.

Martim Monis, Martin Schwaighofer, Nuno Saavedra, Alexandra Mendes, Rene Mayrhofer, João F. Ferreira (2026). Vibenix: Agentic Software Packaging and Maintenance with Nix. Preprint under submission.

PDF Code Dataset

Martim Afonso, Nuno Saavedra, Bruno Lourenço, Alexandra Mendes, João F. Ferreira (2026). ProfOlaf: Semi-Automated Tool for Systematic Literature Reviews. In FSE 2026, Tool Demonstrations Track. CORE A* conference.

PDF Code Dataset Video DOI

Carolina Carreira, Nuno Saavedra, Alexandra Mendes, João F. Ferreira (2026). The Ultimate Configuration Management Tool? Lessons from a Mixed Methods Study of Ansible's Challenges. In EASE 2026. CORE A conference.

PDF Dataset DOI

Ruben Opdebeeck, Mahmoud Alfadel, Akond Rahman, Yutaro Kashiwa, João F. Ferreira, Raula Gaikovina Kula, Coen De Roover (2026). An Empirical Study of Policy as Code: Adoption, Purpose, and Maintenance. In MSR 2026. CORE A conference.

Martin Schwaighofer, Martim Monis, Nuno Saavedra, João F. Ferreira, Rene Mayrhofer (2026). Vibenix: An AI Assistant for Software Packaging with Nix. In LAST-X 2026.

Isabel Amaral, Alexandra Mendes, José Campos (2026). MutDafny: A Mutation-Based Approach to Assess Dafny Specifications. In ICSE 2026. CORE A* conference.

Valentina Wu, Alexandra Mendes, Alexandre Abreu (2025). Specification-Guided Repair of Arithmetic Errors in Dafny Programs using LLMs. In SEFM 2025. CORE B conference.

Carolina Carreira, Álvaro Silva, Alexandre Abreu, Alexandra Mendes (2025). Can Large Language Models Help Students Prove Software Correctness? An Experimental Study with Dafny. In SEFM 2025. CORE B conference.

Carolina Carreira, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes, Nicolas Christin (2025). Are Users More Willing to Use Formally Verified Password Managers?. In SEFM 2025. CORE B conference.

Francisco Oliveira, Alexandra Mendes, Carolina Carreira (2025). What Challenges do Developer Face when using Verification-Aware Languages?. In ISSRE 2025. CORE A conference.

Anna Rita Fasolino, Beatriz Marín, Tanja EJ Vos, Alexandra Mendes, Ana CR Paiva, Felix Cammaerts, Monique Snoeck, Mehrdad Saadatmand, Porfirio Tramontana (2025). Teachers’ Perspective on Software Testing Education. In ACM Transactions on Computing Education, 2025. Q1 Journal.

Gustavo Santos, João Bispo, Alexandra Mendes (2025). Detecting Resource Leaks on Android with Alpakka. In SLE 2025. CORE B conference.

Robert Thompson, Nuno Saavedra, Pedro Carrott, Kevin Fisher, Alex Sanchez-Stern, Yuriy Brun, João F. Ferreira, Sorin Lerner, Emily First (2025). Rango: Adaptive Retrieval-Augmented Proving for Automated Software Verification. In ICSE 2025. CORE A* conference.
🏆 ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper award.

PDF Code Dataset

Nuno Saavedra, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes (2025). InfraFix: Technology-Agnostic Repair of Infrastructure as Code. In ISSTA 2025, Tool Demonstrations Track. CORE A conference.
🏆 Awarded: Artifact Evaluation Award (Reusable).

Sogol Masoumzadeh, Nuno Saavedra, Rungroj Maipradit, Lili Wei, João F. Ferreira, Dániel Varró, Shane McIntosh (2025). Do Experts Agree About Smelly Infrastructure?. In TSE 2025. Q1 journal.

David Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes, João F. Ferreira, Carolina Carreira (2025). Contract Usage and Evolution in Android Mobile Applications. In ECOOP 2025. CORE A conference.

Mateus Silva, Ana C. R. Paiva, Alexandra Mendes (2025). GAMFLEW: Serious game to teach white-box testing. In Software Quality Journal, 2025. Q2 Journal.

Saul Johnson (2024). The Only Human Factor: Formal and Statistical Methods for Secure Password Composition Policy Design and Deployment. PhD Thesis.

Manfred Broy, Achim D. Brucker, Alessandro Fantechi, Mario Gleirscher, Klaus Havelund, Markus Kuppe, Alexandra Mendes, André Platzer, Jan Oliver Ringert, Allison Sullivan (2024). Does Every Computer Scientist Need to Know Formal Methods?. In Formal Aspects of Computing, 2024.

Porfirio Tramontana, Beatriz Marín, Ana C. R. Paiva, Alexandra Mendes, Tanja E. J. Vos, Domenico Amalfitano, Felix Cammaerts, Monique Snoeck, Anna Rita Fasolino (2024). State of the Practice in Software Testing Teaching in Four European Countries. In ICST 2024. CORE A conference.

Pedro Carrott, Nuno Saavedra, Robert Thompson, Sorin Lerner, João F. Ferreira, Emily First (2024). CoqPyt: Proof Navigation in Python in the Era of LLMs. In FSE 2024, Demonstrations Track. CORE A* conference.

David Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes, João F. Ferreira (2024). How are Contracts Used in Android Mobile Applications?. In ICSE 2024, Poster Paper. CORE A* conference.

Monika di Angelo, Thomas Durieux, João F. Ferreira, Gernot Salzer (2024). Evolution of automated weakness detection in Ethereum bytecode: a comprehensive study. In EMSE, 29(2), pp. 1-44. Q1 Journal.

Álvaro Silva, Alexandra Mendes, João F. Ferreira (2024). Leveraging Large Language Models to Boost Dafny's Developers Productivity. In FormaliSE 2024, co-located with ICSE 2024.

Rui Lima, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes, Carolina Carreira (2024). DifFuzzAR: automatic repair of timing side-channel vulnerabilities via refactoring. In Autom Softw Eng, 31(1), 2024. Q2 Journal.

Bruno Rodrigues, Ivone Amorin, Ivan Silva, Alexandra Mendes (2023). Patient-centric health data sovereignty: an approach using proxy re-encryption. In DPM 2023.

Monika di Angelo, Thomas Durieux, João F. Ferreira, Gernot Salzer (2023). SmartBugs 2.0: An Execution Framework for Weakness Detection in Ethereum Smart Contracts. In ASE 2023, Tool Demo Track. CORE A* conference.

Nuno Saavedra, João Gonçalves, Miguel Henriques, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes (2023). Polyglot Code Smell Detection for Infrastructure as Code with GLITCH. In ASE 2023, Tool Demo Track. CORE A* conference.

Henrique Guerra, João F. Ferreira, João Costa Seco (2023). Hoogle⋆: Constants and λ-abstractions in Petri-net-based Synthesis using Symbolic Execution. In ECOOP 2023. CORE A conference.
🏆 Awarded: Artifact Evaluation Award (Available and Reusable).

PDF Code Source Document

André Silva, João F. Ferreira, He Ye, Martin Monperrus (2023). MUFIN: Improving Neural Repair Models with Back-Translation. Preprint under submission.

Steve Dunne, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes, Campbell Ritchie, Bill Stoddart, Frank Zeyda (2022). bGSL: An Imperative Language for Specification and Refinement of Backtracking Programs. In JLAMP. Q2 Journal.

Nuno Saavedra, João F. Ferreira (2022). GLITCH: Automated Polyglot Security Smell Detection in Infrastructure as Code. In ASE 2022. CORE A* conference.
🏆 Awarded: Artifact Evaluation Award (Reusable).

Ricardo Pereira, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes, Rui Abreu (2022). Extending EcoAndroid with Automated Detection of Resource Leaks. In MobileSoft 2022, co-located with ICSE 2022.

Miguel Grilo, João Campos, João F. Ferreira, José Bacelar Almeida, Alexandra Mendes (2022). Verified password generation from password composition policies. In iFM 2022. CORE B conference.
🏆 Invited to ACM Formal Aspects of Computing special issue on iFM 2022.

Alexandre Abreu, Nuno Macedo, Alexandra Mendes (2022). Exploring Automatic Specification Repair in Dafny Programs. In ASYDE 2023.

Miguel Trinca, João F. Ferreira, Rui Abreu (2022). A Preliminary Study on Generating Well-Formed Q# Quantum Programs for Fuzz Testing. In AIST 2022.

Ana Ribeiro, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes (2021). EcoAndroid: An Android Studio Plugin for Developing Energy-efficient Java Mobile Applications. In QRS 2021.

João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes, Claudio Menghi (2021). Formal Methods Teaching: 4th International Workshop and Tutorial (FMTea 2021). Conference Proceedings, Springer Nature.

Carolina Carreira, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes, Nicholas Christin (2021). Exploring Usable Security to Improve the Impact of Formal Verification: A Research Agenda. In AppFM 2021 published as a volume of EPTCS.

Rui Lima, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes (2021). Automatic Repair of Java Code with Timing Side-Channel Vulnerabilities. In IWOR 2021.
🏆 Invited to ASE 2021 workshop best papers special issue published by the Springer Journal on Automated Software Engineering (see JASE 2024 extended paper).

Carolina Carreira, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes (2021). Towards Improving the Usability of Password Managers. In INForum 2021.

Julie Porteous, João F. Ferreira, Alan Lindsay, Marc Cavazza (2021). Automated narrative planning model extension. In Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, 35(2), pp.1-29. Q2 Journal.

João F. Ferreira, Pedro Cruz, Thomas Durieux, Rui Abreu (2020). SmartBugs: A Framework to Analyze Solidity Smart Contracts. In ASE 2020, Tool Demo Track. CORE A* conference.

PDF Code Dataset

David Pereira, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes (2020). Evaluating the Accuracy of Password Strength Meters using Off-The-Shelf Guessing Attacks. In ISSREW 2020 (RSDA 2020).

Thomas Durieux, João F. Ferreira, Rui Abreu, Pedro Cruz (2020). Empirical Review of Automated Analysis Tools on 47,587 Ethereum Smart Contracts. In ICSE 2020. CORE A* conference.
🏆 Awarded: Artifact Evaluation Award (Available, Reusable). Most cited paper from ICSE 2020 (Google Scholar Metrics).

PDF Code Dataset

Saul Johnson, João F. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes, Julien Cordry (2020). Skeptic: Automatic, Justified and Privacy-Preserving Password Composition Policy Selection. In AsiaCCS 2020. CORE A conference.

Julie Porteous, João F. Ferreira, Alan Lindsay, Marc Cavazza (2020). Extending Narrative Planning Domains with Linguistic Resources. In AAMAS 2020. CORE A* conference.
🏆 Invited to journal publication by Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (JAAMAS) (see JAAMAS 2021 extended paper).

Thomas Hayton, Julie Porteous, João F. Ferreira, Alan Lindsay (2020). Narrative Planning Model Acquisition from Text Summaries and Descriptions. In AAAI 2020. CORE A* conference.