Dr Rob Alexander

Department of Computer Science,
University of York.

Office: ISA/108, middle floor ISA Building
Telephone: 01904 325474
Email: rob.alexander@york.ac.uk

I'm a senior lecturer (associate professor) in the Department of Computer Science at the University of York, UK.

Research

I study three things:

1. The World - Understanding and modelling the messy real world environments that high-autonomy systems must inhabit, in particular for the sake of systems validation

2. The Engineering Process - Understanding how the messy reality of large-scale engineering processes can give rise to disasters in safety-critical systems, and in refining techniques for managing that reality
   • Collaborations with Drew Rae and John McDermid

3. The Machine - Reconciling the advanced technologies needed for autonomy with the dependability (particularly safety) requirements that safety-critical applications impose on technologies and the means of analysing them

I am interested in collaborations, and in supervising PhD research, in all of the above areas. If you're interested in PhD study, I have a page with some ideas for specific PhD projects.

Teaching

My current teaching includes:

• High Integrity Systems Engineering (HINT) - BEng & MEng Computer Science
• Autonomous Robotic Systems Engineering - BEng & MEng Computer Science
• Robotics and Autonomous Systems Safety - MSc Safety Critical Systems Engineering

Publications

2018

• Evaluation of Mutation Testing in a Nuclear Industry Case Study
  Delgado-Perez, P., Habli, I., Gregory, S., Alexander, R., Clark, J. & Medina-Bulo, I.
  IEEE Transactions on Reliability, December 2018

• Ethics and the safety of autonomous systems
  Menon, C. & Alexander, R. D
  Safety-Critical Systems Symposium, February 2018

• The State of Solutions for Autonomous Systems Safety
  Alexander, R. D., Ashmore, R. & Banks, A
  Safety-Critical Systems Symposium, February 2018

• Safety-Related Challenges for Autonomous Systems
  SCSC Safety of Autonomous Systems Working Group
  SCSC, February 2018

2017

• Evolving Test Environments to Identify Faults in Swarm Robotics Algorithms
  Hao Wei, Jon Timmis, Rob Alexander
  IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation, June 2017

• Forecasts or fortune-telling: when are expert judgements of safety risk valid?
  Andrew Rae, Rob Alexander
  Safety Science, Sept 2017

• Incorporating epistemic uncertainty into the safety assurance of socio-technical systems
  Chris Leong, Tim Kelly, Rob Alexander
  2nd international Workshop on Causal Reasoning for Embedded and Safety-critical Systems Technologies, April 2017

• Probative blindness and false assurance about safety
  Andrew Rae, Rob Alexander
  Safety Science, Feb 2017

• From Safety Cases to Security Cases
  Rob Alexander, Richard Hawkins, Tim Kelly
  Safety-critical Systems Symposium, Feb 2017

2016

• A Systematic Approach for Designing Mutation Operators for MDE languages
  Faisal Alhwikem, Richard Paige, Louis Rose, Rob Alexander.
  13th Workshop on Model-Driven Engineering, Verification and Validation, October 2016.

• On the Validation of a UAV Collision Avoidance System Developed by Model-Based Optimization: Challenges and a Tentative Partial Solution
  Xueyi Zou, Rob Alexander, John McDermid
  2nd International Workshop on Safety and Security of Intelligent Vehicles, June 2016

• Testing Method for Multi-UAV Conflict Resolution Using Agent-Based Simulation and Multi-Objective Search
  Xueyi Zou, Rob Alexander, John McDermid
  Journal of Aerospace Information Systems, April 2016

• Safe Multi-objective Planning With A Posteriori Preferences
  Ralph Eastwood, Rob Alexander and Tim Kelly
  IEEE High Assurance Systems Engineering Symposium (HASE), Jan 2016

2015

• Semantic Mutation Testing for Multi-Agent Systems
  Zhan Huang, Rob Alexander
  The International Workshop on Engineering Multi-Agent Systems (EMAS), May 2015
  (Jason release 1.4.1 modified to support SMT - version used for original paper)
  (Jason release 1.4.1 modified to support SMT - version used for post-proceedings paper)

• The optimisation of stochastic grammars to enable cost-effective probabilistic structural testing
  Simon Poulding, Rob Alexander, John Clark, Mark Hadley
  Journal of Systems and Software, May 2015

• Subdomain-based test data generation
  (Publisher version — http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2014.11.033)
  Matthew Patrick, Rob Alexander, Manuel Oriol, John Clark
  Journal of Systems and Software, May 2015

• Situation coverage - a coverage criterion for testing autonomous robots
  Rob Alexander, Heather Hawkins, Drew Rae
  Technical Report YCS-2015-496, Department of Computer Science, University of York, February 2015

2014

• Probative Blindness: How Safety Activity can Fail to Update Beliefs about Safety
  Andrew Rae, John McDermid, Rob Alexander, Mark Nicholson
  Proceedings of the 9th IET International System Safety Conference, October 2014

• Safety Validation of Sense and Avoid Algorithms Using Simulation and Evolutionary Search
  Xueyi Zou, Rob Alexander, John McDermid
  Proceedings of the 33rd International Conference on Computer Safety, Reliability and Security (SAFECOMP '14), September 2014

• Mutation Testing for Jason Agents
  Zhan Huang, Rob Alexander, John Clark
  The International Workshop on Engineering Multi-Agent Systems (EMAS), May 2014
  (Code for the muJason tool)

• Fixing the Cracks in the Crystal Ball: A Maturity Model for Quantitative Risk Assessment
  Andrew Rae, Rob Alexander, John McDermid
  Reliability Engineering and System Safety, May 2014

• Probability-based semantic interpretation of mutants
  Matthew Patrick, Rob Alexander, Manuel Oriol, John Clark
  The International Workshop on Mutation Analysis, March 2014

• Evolving Robust Networks for Systems-of-Systems: is it Viable for Large Networks?
  Jonathan M. Aitken, Rob Alexander, Tim Kelly, Simon Poulding
  Empirical Software Engineering, February 2014

2013

• Selecting Highly Efficient Sets of Subdomains for Mutation Adequacy
  Matthew Patrick, Rob Alexander, Manuel Oriol, John A. Clark
  Proceedings of the 20th Asia-Pacific Software Engineering Conference (APSEC), December 2013

• Towards a safety case for runtime risk and uncertainty management in safety-critical systems
  Ralph Eastwood, Tim Kelly, Rob Alexander, Einar Landre
  Proceedings of the 8th IET International System Safety Conference, October 2013

• Testing Autonomous Robot Control Software using Procedural Content Generation
  James Arnold, Rob Alexander
  Proceedings of the 32nd International Conference on Computer Safety, Reliability and Security (SAFECOMP '13), September 2013

• Efficient Subdomains for Random Testing
  Matthew Patrick, Rob Alexander, Manuel Oriol, John A. Clark
  Proceedings of the Symposium on Search-Based Software Engineering, August 2013

• The Optimisation of Stochastic Grammars to Enable Cost-Effective Probabilistic Structural Testing
  Simon Poulding, Rob Alexander, John Clark, Mark Hadley
  Proceedings of Gecco, July 2013 (awarded best paper prize for SBSE track)

• The Discovery and Quantification of Risk in High Dimensional Search Spaces
  Kester Clegg, Rob Alexander
  Proceedings of Gecco, July 2013

• Searching for Risk in Large Complex Spaces
  Kester Clegg, Rob Alexander
  Proceedings of EvoStar, April 2013

• Using Mutation Analysis to Evolve Subdomains for Random Testing
  Matthew Patrick, Rob Alexander, Manuel Oriol, John A Clark
  Proceedings of the 8th International Workshop on Mutation Analysis, March 2013

• Supporting systems of systems hazard analysis using multi-agent simulation
  Rob Alexander, Tim Kelly
  Safety Science, Volume 51, Issue 1, January 2013

2012

• Searching air sectors for risk
  Kester Clegg, Rob Alexander
  Proceedings of the 2nd SESAR Innovation Days, November 2012

• Evolving Robust Networks for Systems-of-Systems
  Jonathan M. Aitken, Rob Alexander, Tim Kelly, Simon Poulding
  Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Search-Based Software Engineering (SSBSE), September 2012
  Network generator
  Code used in the paper

• The Science and Superstition of Quantitative Risk Assessment
  Andrew Rae, John McDermid, Rob Alexander
  Proceedings of PSAM 11 & ESREL 2012, June 2012

2011

• ASHiCS: Automating the Search for Hazards in Complex Systems
  K Clegg, R Alexander
  Proceedings of the 1st SESAR Innovation Days, December 2011

• Using a Software Safety Argument Pattern Catalogue: Two Case Studies
  R Hawkins, K Clegg, R Alexander, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Computer Safety, Reliability and Security (SAFECOMP '11), September 2011

• Is the "System of Systems" a Useful Concept for Hazard Analysis?
  A J Rae, R Alexander
  Proceedings of the 29th International System Safety Conference (ISSC '11), August 2011

• The Need for SoS Safety Cases
  R Alexander, G Despotou, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 29th International System Safety Conference (ISSC '11), August 2011

• Security Assurance Cases: Motivation and the State of the Art
  R Alexander, R Hawkins, T Kelly
  Report produced for CESG, April 2011

• A Risk Modelling Approach for a Communicating System of Systems
  J Aitken, R Alexander, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 5th IEEE Systems Conference, March 2011

2010

• Matching Research Goals and Methods in System Safety Engineering
  R Alexander, A Rae, M Nicholson
  Proceedings of the 5th IET System Safety Conference, October 2010

• The State of Practice in System Safety Research Evaluation
  A Rae, M Nicholson, R Alexander,
  Proceedings of the 5th IET System Safety Conference, October 2010

• Safety Lifecycle Activities for Autonomous Systems Development
  R Alexander, B Gorry, T Kelly
  5th SEAS DTC Technical Conference, July 2010

• A Case for Dynamic Risk Assessment in NEC Systems of Systems
  J M Aitken, R Alexander, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 5th IEEE Conference on Systems of Systems Engineering, June 2010

2009

• The Role of the Human in an Autonomous System
  R Alexander, N Herbert, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 4th IET System Safety Conference, October 2009

• Equivalence Arguments for Complex Systems Simulations - A Case-Study
  T Ghetiu, R Alexander, P Andrews, F Polack, J Bown
  Proceedings of the 2nd CoSMoS Workshop, August 2009

• Escaping the Non-Quantitative Trap
  R Alexander, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 27th International System Safety Conference (ISSC '09), August 2009

• A Critique of the �Unmanned Systems Safety Guide for DoD Acquisition�
  R Alexander, N Herbert, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 27th International System Safety Conference (ISSC '09), August 2009

• Deriving Safety Requirements for Autonomous Systems
  R Alexander, N Herbert, T Kelly
  4th SEAS DTC Technical Conference, July 2009

• Addressing Challenges of Hazard Analysis in Systems of Systems
  G Despotou, R Alexander, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 3rd IEEE Systems Conference, March 2009

2008

• Structuring Safety Cases for Autonomous Systems
  R Alexander, N Herbert, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 3rd IET System Safety Conference, October 2008

• Engineering Safety-Critical Complex Systems
  R Alexander, R Alexander-Bown, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 1st CoSMoS Workshop, September 2008

• Simulation and Prediction in Safety Case Evidence
  R Alexander, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 26th International System Safety Conference (ISSC '08), August 2008

2007

• Using Simulation for Systems of Systems Hazard Analysis
  R Alexander
  PhD Thesis, Department of Computer Science, University of York, September 2007

• Certification of Autonomous Systems under UK Military Safety Standards
  R Alexander, M Hall-May, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 25th International System Safety Conference (ISSC '07), August 2007

• Certification of Autonomous Systems
  R Alexander, M Hall-May, T Kelly
  2nd SEAS DTC Technical Conference, July 2007

• Ensuring Dependable Systems of Systems
  R Alexander, M Hall-May, T Kelly
  3rd Systems Engineering Research and Technology Conference, February 2007

2006

• System of Systems Hazard Analysis using Simulation and Machine Learning
  R Alexander, D Kazakov, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Computer Safety, Reliability and Security (SAFECOMP '06), September 2006. LNCS volume 4166

• Can we Remove the Human from Hazard Analysis?
  R Alexander, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 24th International System Safety Conference (ISSC '06), August 2006

• Combining Simulation with Machine Learning to Build Accident Models
  R Alexander, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on Safety and Security in Multiagent Systems, May 2006

2005 and earlier

• Towards Using Simulation to Evaluate Safety Policy for Systems of Systems
  R Alexander, M Hall-May, G Despotou, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Safety and Security in Multiagent Systems, July 2005

• Characterisation of Systems of Systems Failures
  R Alexander, M Hall-May, T Kelly
  Proceedings of the 22nd International System Safety Conference (ISSC '04), August 2004