Alexander Boll

Research Summary

Postdoctoral researcher in software engineering, working on merge conflict resolution and software variability, with a strong track record in model-based software engineering — particularly MATLAB/Simulink. My research develops practical tools (SMOKE, GRANDSLAM, ScoutSL) that lower the barrier to empirical research in model-based engineering, and studies how developers can be better supported in everyday version-control workflows.

Experience

Education

• Jun 2019 – Dec 2025
  Dr. rer. nat. (PhD) in Computer Science, University of Bern (initially at Humboldt University of Berlin until Dec 2021)
  Thesis: Bridging the Data Desert: Mitigating Challenges of Model Accessibility in Simulink Research
  Advisor: Prof. Dr. Timo Kehrer · Defended Dec 2025 · doi.org/10.48549/7066
• Oct 2006 – Feb 2019
  Diplom / M.Sc. in Computer Science, Humboldt University of Berlin
  Advisor: Dr. Kim Völlinger · Final grade 1.3 (sehr gut / very good; German scale, 1.0 best)
  Thesis: Formale Instanzverifikation zertifizierender verteilter Algorithmen
• 1997 – 2006
  Abitur, Rosa-Luxemburg-Oberschule, Berlin-Pankow · Final grade 1.6 (gut / good; German scale, 1.0 best)

Awards

• Distinguished Paper Award, EASE 2024 — for "Towards Semi-Automated Merge Conflict Resolution: Is It Easier Than We Expected?"

Publications

Journal Articles

1. Alexander Boll, Manuel Ohrndorf, Timo Kehrer. "SMOKE2.0 Whitebox Anonymization of Sensitive Information in Simulink with Structure Preservation". SoSyM, 2026. doi:10.1007/s10270-026-01381-x.
2. Roman Bögli, Alexander Boll, Alexander Schultheiß, Timo Kehrer. "Community-Driven Variability: Characterizing a new Software Variability Paradigm". Automated Software Engineering, 2026. doi:10.1007/s10515-026-00594-0.
3. Alexander Boll, Pooja Rani, Alexander Schultheiß, Timo Kehrer. "Beyond Code: Is There a Difference Between Comments in Visual and Textual Languages?". JSS, 2024. doi:10.1016/j.jss.2024.112087.
4. Tiago Amorim, Alexander Boll, Ferry Bachmann, Timo Kehrer, Andreas Vogelsang, Hartmut Pohlheim. "Simulink Bus Usage in Practice: An Empirical Study". JOT, 2023. doi:10.5381/jot.2023.22.2.a12.
5. Alexander Schultheiß, Paul Bittner, Alexander Boll, Lars Grunske, Thomas Thüm, Timo Kehrer. "RaQuN: A Generic and Scalable n-Way Model Matching Algorithm". SoSyM, 2022. doi:10.1007/s10270-022-01062-5.
6. Alexander Boll, Nicole Vieregg, Timo Kehrer. "Replicability of Experimental Tool Evaluations in Model-Based Software and Systems Engineering with MATLAB/Simulink". ISSE, 2022. doi:10.1007/s11334-022-00442-w.
7. Alexander Boll, Florian Brokhausen, Tiago Amorim, Andreas Vogelsang, Timo Kehrer. "Characteristics, Potentials, and Limitations of Open Source Simulink Projects for Empirical Research". SoSyM, 2021. doi:10.1007/s10270-021-00883-0.
8. Alexander Schultheiß, Alexander Boll, Timo Kehrer. "Comparison of Graph-Based Model Transformation Rules". JOT, 2020. doi:10.5381/jot.2020.19.2.a3.

Conferences

1. Alexander Boll. "GRANDSLAM: Linearly Scalable Model Synthesis". ICST, 2026.
2. Manuel Ohrndorf, Alexander Boll, Roman Bögli, Timo Kehrer. "Turning Merge Conflicts Into Conflict-Induced Variability". ICSE, 2026. doi:10.1145/3786582.3786840.
3. Alexander Schultheiß, Alexander Boll, Paul Bittner, Sandra Greiner, Thomas Thüm, Timo Kehrer. "Decades of GNU Patch and Git Cherry-Pick: Can We Do Better?". ICSE, 2026. doi:10.1145/3744916.3764537.
4. Roman Bögli, Alexander Boll, Alexander Schultheiß, Timo Kehrer. "Beyond Software Families: Community Driven Variability". FSE, 2025. doi:10.1145/3696630.3728501.
5. Pablo Valenzuela-Toledo, Chuyue Wu, Sandro Hernández, Alexander Boll, Roman Machacek, Sebastiano Panichella, Timo Kehrer. "Explaining GitHub Actions Failures with Large Language Models: Challenges, Insights, and Limitations". ICPC, 2025. doi:10.1109/ICPC66645.2025.00037.
6. Alexander Boll, Timo Kehrer, Michael Goedicke. "SMOKE: Simulink Model Obfuscator Keeping Structure". MODELS, 2024. doi:10.1145/3652620.3687788.
7. Alexander Boll, Yael van Dok, Manuel Ohrndorf, Alexander Schultheiß, Timo Kehrer. "Towards Semi-Automated Merge Conflict Resolution: Is It Easier Than We Expected?". EASE, 2024. doi:10.1145/3661167.3661197. Distinguished Paper Award.
8. Sohil Lal Shrestha, Alexander Boll, Timo Kehrer, Christoph Csallner. "ScoutSL: An Open-Source Simulink Search Engine". MODELS, 2023. doi:10.1109/MODELS-C59198.2023.00022.
9. Sohil Lal Shrestha, Alexander Boll, Shafiul Azam Chowdhury, Timo Kehrer, Christoph Csallner. "EvoSL: A Large Open-Source Corpus of Changes in Simulink Models & Projects". MODELS, 2023. doi:10.1109/MODELS58315.2023.00024.
10. Alexander Boll, Timo Kehrer. "On the Replicability of Experimental Tool Evaluations in Model-Based Development". ICSMM, 2020. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-58167-1_9.

Preprints

1. Pooja Rani, Jan-Andrea Bard, June Sallou, Alexander Boll, Timo Kehrer, Alberto Bacchelli. "Can We Make Code Green? Understanding Trade-Offs in LLMs vs. Human Code Optimizations". arXiv, 2025. doi:10.48550/arXiv.2503.20126.

Theses

1. Alexander Boll. "Bridging the Data Desert: Mitigating Challenges of Model Accessibility in Simulink Research". PhD Thesis, University of Bern, 2025. doi:10.48549/7066.
2. Alexander Boll. "Formale Instanzverifikation zertifizierender verteilter Algorithmen". MSc Thesis (in German), 2019.

Presentations

• May 2026
  "GRANDSLAM: Linearly Scalable Model Synthesis" at ICST 2026
• Sep 2024
  "SMOKE: Simulink Model Obfuscator Keeping Structure" at MODELS 2024
• Jun 2024
  "Towards Semi-Automated Merge Conflict Resolution: Is It Easier Than We Expected?" at EASE 2024
• Oct 2023
  "ScoutSL: An Open-Source Simulink Search Engine" and "EvoSL: A Large Open-Source Corpus of Changes in Simulink Models & Projects" at MODELS 2023
• Jun 2020
  "On the Replicability of Experimental Tool Evaluations in Model-Based Development" at ICSMM 2020

Funded Research Projects

• Oct 2023 – Sep 2027
  Merge++ — SNSF-funded research project on merge conflict resolution (SNSF grant 219719, PI: Timo Kehrer)
  Contributed substantially to the successful grant proposal.

Student Supervision

• 2026
  Volodymyr Kachuriak (MSc) — CI/CD-Enhanced Conflict Resolution
  Co-supervised with Timo Kehrer
• 2025
  Judi Abdullah (MSc) — An Empirical Study of Context Modifications in Git Merge Conflict Resolutions
  Co-supervised with Timo Kehrer
• 2023
  Yael van Dok (BSc) — In Conflict: An Empirical Study of Merge Conflict Resolutions in Open-Source Projects
  Co-supervised with Timo Kehrer
• 2022
  Severin Buchser (BSc) — An Empirical Study on the Human Role in Merge Conflict Resolution
  Co-supervised with Timo Kehrer

Teaching

• 2022–present
  Seminar Software Engineering, University of Bern
  Supervision of various student seminar projects
• 2025, 2026
  Programmieren 2 (P2), University of Bern
  Occasional lecture and exercise substitute
• 2009, 2010, 2011
  Algorithms and Complexity, Humboldt University of Berlin
  Tutor — designed and graded exercises and exams, led tutorial sessions
• 2007, 2008, 2009
  Introduction to C++ for Engineers, TU Berlin
  Tutor — led tutorials, reviewed course materials, exercises, and exams

Service

• 2024
  Web Chair, VaMoS 2024

Reviewing

• 2026: ASE (2), EASE (2), ICSE, MODELS, SoSyM
• 2025: EASE, ICSME, ICSE (2), FSE (2)
• 2024: TSE, ICSE, VaMoS
• 2023: MODELS, ESWA, SPE
• 2022: ICSE (NIER) (3)
• 2021: ASE, J.UCS
• 2020: ASE (2), JOT, SPE

Skills

Programming Languages

Regular use: Java, Python, MATLAB, Simulink

Occasional: C, C++, Coq, Haskell, Tamarin, Xtext, R, JavaScript, HTML, Prolog, Pascal

Languages

• German — native
• English — fluent
• French — B1
• Portuguese — A2
• Japanese — A2

Professional Memberships

• ACM — Association for Computing Machinery
• IEEE — Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers