Sara Hassan

Senior Lecturer in Software Engineering

Sara is a full-time Senior Lecturer in software engineering, leading the MSc Advanced Computer Science course. She is currently an active researcher in the Intelligent Software Systems Lab (ISSL). Within this lab, she investigates applying established approaches (e.g., neural network, objective decision-making, secure design) in novel ways, thereby producing intelligent solutions for software systems in a myriad of domains.

Expert
Senior Lecturer
Active in Industry
Software Engineering

Biography

I am software engineering academic with particular interest in software design and in linking mental health to software design.

Academic expertise

My expertise spans the following flexible areas which are always evolving:

Software economics
Quality-based software architectural design
Microservice architectures
Software architectural decision-making techniques
Mental wellbeing in software design

Journey to BCU

My journey to BCU started from Birmingham as well. I was a student and researcher at University of Birmingham, studying software engineering then specialising in microservice software engineering. After completing my PhD at University of Birmingham.

Throughout my time in Birmingham, I have worked on multiple projects related to software design expanding my network of colleagues and collaborators along the way. One of the best things about working in academia in my opinion is to have a collaborative research environment where ideas can thrive. I am fortunate to be part of such an environment.

Notable projects

I am working with m PhD student on making software more mental-wellbeing aware to give its users a mentally positive user experience. This project is very interesting to me and my student because it cross-cuts social science and computer science. This interdisciplinary nature of the project aligns with the STEAM way of thinking which BCU is adopting and incorporating since the recent move to STEAMHouse. On one hand, the project studies the metrics, factors, and dimensions of mental health when it comes to software users. This is the social science aspect of the project. On the other hand, the project studies how software design can be improved to improve these factors. This is the computer science aspect of the project.