Prospective Students

I am always on the lookout for hiring self-motivated PhD students to work on topics related to software engineering. You can see our research in detail in the Publications. Currently, I am focused on two major research topics:

Technical Debt. How can we help software engineers to maintain the debt of their projects under control?
Engineering AI systems for Health. AI systems are increasingly becoming part of our daily lives. How can we help software developers to build more reliable AI systems for Health? This are also includes research in remote healthcare, wearable medical devices, and personalized healthcare.

How to apply?

Qualifications: Strong programming, problem-solving and communication skills.

A degree in computer science, computer engineering or software engineering is expected. However, if you have a major in adjacent areas (e.g., electrical engineering, mathematics, physics) and have a strong programming background, you are also encouraged to apply. If you come from a completely different area, you should justify (with strong arguments) in your cover letter why you want to switch to software engineering.

If you are interested in joining my research group, please contact (spinolaro [at] vcu.edu) and include:

Your CV
Brief cover letter including: your research interests, outline of previous research experience, preferred start date. You get a bonus point if you include which research topic you are interested on, or which papers from our group has caught your attention (see Publications).
Unofficial transcripts
(Optional) Sample of your papers (if you have any)

Important tips:

Make sure to show in your email that you are actually interested in our work. Generic application e-mails (especially those that are addressed to multiple professors!) will be ignored.
Take a look at the VCU website for information on graduate admissions, tuitions, scholarships and the programs.
Check out Dr. Evan’s advice for prospective research students when contacting me (or any professor).