Steffen Zschaler

King's College Strand Campus, Bush House, room BH(N)7.01

I am a Reader in Software Engineering at the Department of Informatics at King’s College London (see what student’s have to say) and a Visiting Scientist at the Francis Crick Institute. I am a member of the Software Systems (SSY) group. I also direct MDENet: the expert network for model-driven engineering and am a co-director on the Centre for Doctoral Training in Digital Twins for Healthcare (DT4Health).

I came here from Lancaster University, UK, where I was a Marie-Curie Fellow. Before that, I had been a PhD student and research associate with Technische Universität Dresden, Germany.

In 2007, I received my doctoral degree (Dr. rer. nat.) from Technische Universität Dresden, Germany. My doctoral thesis was in the area of non-functional properties of component-based systems and was awarded summa cum laude.

Outside of work, I am most likely to be found a) in front of a book reading stories (well, anything, actually), or b) in rehearsals working on some new theatre play.

selected publications

2025

SoSyM

The MDENet Education Platform: Zero-Install Directed Activities for Learning MDE

Steffen Zschaler, Will Barnett, Artur Boronat, and 2 more authors

Software and Systems Modelling (SoSyM), 2025

Bib HTML PDF

@article{ZschalerEtAl25,
  author = {Zschaler, Steffen and Barnett, Will and Boronat, Artur and Garcia-Dominguez, Antonio and Kolovos, Dimitris},
  title = {The {MDENet} Education Platform: Zero-Install Directed Activities for Learning {MDE}},
  journal = {Software and Systems Modelling (SoSyM)},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1007/s10270-025-01292-3},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-025-01292-3},
}

WSC

Dialectic models for documenting and conducting simulation studies: Exploring Feasibility

Steffen Zschaler, Pia Wilsdorf, Thomas Godfrey, and 1 more author

In Winter Simulation Conference, 2025

Bib PDF

@inproceedings{ZschalerWilsdorfEtAl25b,
  author = {Zschaler, Steffen and Wilsdorf, Pia and Godfrey, Thomas and Uhrmacher, Adelinde M.},
  title = {Dialectic models for documenting and conducting simulation studies: Exploring Feasibility},
  booktitle = {Winter Simulation Conference},
  year = {2025},
}

2024

WSC

Potential and Challenges of Assurance Cases for Simulation Validation

Pia Wilsdorf, Steffen Zschaler, Fiete Haack, and 1 more author

In 2024 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC), 2024

Bib HTML PDF

@inproceedings{WilsdorfEtAl24,
  author = {Wilsdorf, Pia and Zschaler, Steffen and Haack, Fiete and Uhrmacher, Adelinde M.},
  booktitle = {2024 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC)},
  title = {Potential and Challenges of Assurance Cases for Simulation Validation},
  year = {2024},
  pages = {2166--2177},
  doi = {10.1109/WSC63780.2024.10838818},
  keywords = {Accuracy;Computational modeling;Safety;Reliability;Context modeling;Computational biology},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1109/WSC63780.2024.10838818},
}

SoSyM

Requirements for Modelling Tools for Teaching

Jörg Kienzle, Steffen Zschaler, William Barnett, and 8 more authors

Software and Systems Modelling 23, 2024

Bib HTML PDF

@article{KienzleZschaler24,
  author = {Kienzle, J{\"o}rg and Zschaler, Steffen and Barnett, William and Sa{\u{g}}lam, Timur and Bucchiarone, Antonio and Abrah{\~a}o, Silvia and Syriani, Eugene and Kolovos, Dimitris and Lethbridge, Timothy and Mustafiz, Sadaf and Meacham, Sofia},
  title = {Requirements for Modelling Tools for Teaching},
  journal = {Software and Systems Modelling},
  volume = {23},
  pages = {1055--1073},
  year = {2024},
  url = {\url{https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-024-01192-y}},
  doi = {10.1007/s10270-024-01192-y},
}

arXiv

Abstraction Engineering

Nelly Bencomo, Jordi Cabot, Marsha Chechik, and 4 more authors

2024

Bib HTML

@misc{BencomoEtAl24,
  author = {Bencomo, Nelly and Cabot, Jordi and Chechik, Marsha and Cheng, Betty H. C. and Combemale, Benoit and Wąsowski, Andrzej and Zschaler, Steffen},
  title = {Abstraction Engineering},
  year = {2024},
  url = {\url{https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2408.14074}},
  doi = {10.48550/arXiv.2408.14074},
}

2023

TSE

We’re Not Gonna Break It! Consistency-Preserving Operators for Efficient Product Line Configuration

Jose-Miguel Horcas, Daniel Strüber, Alexandru Burdusel, and 2 more authors

IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering 49(3), 2023

Bib HTML PDF

@article{HorcasEtAl22,
  author = {Horcas, Jose-Miguel and Str{\"u}ber, Daniel and Burdusel, Alexandru and Martinez, Jabier and Zschaler, Steffen},
  title = {We're Not Gonna Break It! Consistency-Preserving Operators for Efficient Product Line Configuration},
  journal = {IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering},
  pages = {1102--1117},
  volume = {49},
  number = {3},
  year = {2023},
  doi = {10.1109/TSE.2022.3171404},
  url = {https://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TSE.2022.3171404},
}

SoSyM

Trustworthy agent-based simulation: the case for domain-specific modelling languages

Steffen Zschaler, and Fiona A. C. Polack

Software and Systems Modelling 22(2), 2023

Bib HTML PDF Interview

@article{ZschalerPolack23,
  author = {Zschaler, Steffen and Polack, Fiona A. C.},
  title = {Trustworthy agent-based simulation: the case for domain-specific modelling languages},
  journal = {Software and Systems Modelling},
  pages = {455--470},
  volume = {22},
  number = {2},
  year = {2023},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-023-01082-9},
  doi = {10.1007/s10270-023-01082-9},
}

WSC

Supporting Emergency Department Risk Mitigation with a Modular and Reusable Agent-Based Simulation Infrastructure

Thomas Godfrey, Steffen Zschaler, Rahul Batra, and 4 more authors

In 2023 Winter Simulation Conference, 2023

Also presented at ‘Modellierung 2024’

Bib HTML PDF

@inproceedings{GodfreyEtAl23,
  author = {Godfrey, Thomas and Zschaler, Steffen and Batra, Rahul and Douthwaite, Sam and Edgeworth, Jonathan and Edwards, Matthew and Miles, Simon},
  title = {Supporting Emergency Department Risk Mitigation with a Modular and Reusable Agent-Based Simulation Infrastructure},
  booktitle = {2023 Winter Simulation Conference},
  year = {2023},
  url = {https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/3643142.3643155},
  doi = {10.5555/3643142.3643155},
  note = {Also presented at `Modellierung 2024'},
}

2021

SoSyM

Automatic generation of atomic multiplicity-preserving search operators for search-based model engineering

Alexandru Burdusel, Steffen Zschaler, and Stefan John

Software and Systems Modelling, 2021

Bib HTML PDF

@article{BurduselEtAl21,
  author = {Burdusel, Alexandru and Zschaler, Steffen and John, Stefan},
  title = {Automatic generation of atomic multiplicity-preserving search operators for search-based model engineering},
  journal = {Software and Systems Modelling},
  year = {2021},
  doi = {10.1007/s10270-021-00914-w},
}

SciCo

Sustaining and Improving Graduated Graph Consistency: A Static Analysis of Graph Transformations

Jens Kosiol, Daniel Strüber, Gabriele Taentzer, and 1 more author

Science of Computer Programming 214, 2021

Bib HTML PDF

@article{KosiolEtAl21,
  author = {Kosiol, Jens and Str{\"u}ber, Daniel and Taentzer, Gabriele and Zschaler, Steffen},
  title = {Sustaining and Improving Graduated Graph Consistency: A Static Analysis of Graph Transformations},
  journal = {Science of Computer Programming},
  volume = {214},
  year = {2021},
}

2019

ICMT

Searching for Optimal Models: Comparing Two Encoding Approaches

Stefan John, Alexandru Burdusel, Robert Bill, and 4 more authors

In Proc. 12th Int’l Conf. Model Transformations (ICMT’19), 2019

Bib PDF Supp

@inproceedings{JohnEtAl19,
  author = {John, Stefan and Burdusel, Alexandru and Bill, Robert and Str{\"u}ber, Daniel and Taentzer, Gabriele and Zschaler, Steffen and Wimmer, Manuel},
  title = {Searching for Optimal Models: Comparing Two Encoding Approaches},
  booktitle = {Proc. 12th Int'l Conf. Model Transformations (ICMT'19)},
  year = {2019},
}

TOCE

Transformative and Troublesome? Students’ and Professional programmers’ perspectives on difficult concepts in programming

Lucy Yeomans, Steffen Zschaler, and Kelly Coate

ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE) 19(3), 2019

Bib HTML PDF

@article{YeomansEtAl19,
  author = {Yeomans, Lucy and Zschaler, Steffen and Coate, Kelly},
  title = {Transformative and Troublesome? Students' and Professional programmers' perspectives on difficult concepts in programming},
  journal = {ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE)},
  volume = {19},
  number = {3},
  year = {2019},
}

2018

Deriving Persuasion Strategies Using Search-Based Model Engineering

Josh Murphy, Alexandru Burdusel, Michael Luck, and 2 more authors

In 7th International Conference on Computational Models of Argument (COMMA’18), 2018

Bib PDF

@inproceedings{MurphyEtAl18,
  author = {Murphy, Josh and Burdusel, Alexandru and Luck, Michael and Zschaler, Steffen and Black, Elizabeth},
  title = {Deriving Persuasion Strategies Using Search-Based Model Engineering},
  booktitle = {7th International Conference on Computational Models of Argument (COMMA'18)},
  year = {2018},
}

2017

GTS Families for the Flexible Composition of Graph Transformation Systems

Steffen Zschaler, and Francisco Durán

In 20th Int’l Conf. Fundamental Approaches to Software Engineering (FASE’17), 2017

Bib HTML PDF Slides

@inproceedings{ZschalerDuran17a,
  author = {Zschaler, Steffen and Dur{\'a}n, Francisco},
  title = {{GTS} Families for the Flexible Composition of Graph Transformation Systems},
  pages = {208--225},
  doi = {10.1007/978-3-662-54494-5_12},
  url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-54494-5_12},
  editor = {Huisman, Marieke and Rubin, Julia},
  booktitle = {20th Int'l Conf. Fundamental Approaches to Software Engineering (FASE'17)},
  year = {2017},
  publisher = {Springer Berlin Heidelberg},
  address = {Berlin, Heidelberg},
  isbn = {978-3-662-54494-5},
}

JLAMP

Amalgamation of Domain Specific Languages with Behaviour

Francisco Durán, Antonio Moreno-Delgado, Fernando Orejas, and 1 more author

Journal of Logical and Algebraic Methods in Programming 86(1), 2017

Bib HTML PDF

@article{DuranEtAl15,
  author = {Dur{\'a}n, Francisco and Moreno-Delgado, Antonio and Orejas, Fernando and Zschaler, Steffen},
  title = {Amalgamation of Domain Specific Languages with Behaviour},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jlamp.2015.09.005},
  url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jlamp.2015.09.005},
  journal = {Journal of Logical and Algebraic Methods in Programming},
  year = {2017},
  volume = {86},
  number = {1},
  pages = {208--235},
}

2016

ICMT

Correct Reuse of Transformations is Hard to Guarantee

Rick Salay, Steffen Zschaler, and Marsha Chechik

In Proc. 9th Int’l Conf Model Transformations (ICMT’16), 2016

Bib HTML Slides

@inproceedings{SalayEtAl16,
  author = {Salay, Rick and Zschaler, Steffen and Chechik, Marsha},
  title = {Correct Reuse of Transformations is Hard to Guarantee},
  pages = {107--122},
  doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-42064-6_8},
  url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42064-6_8},
  editor = {van Gorp, Pieter and Engels, Gregor},
  booktitle = {Proc. 9th Int'l Conf Model Transformations (ICMT'16)},
  publisher = {Springer International Publishing},
  isbn = {978-3-319-42064-6},
  year = {2016},
}

2009

SoSyM

Formal Specification of Non-functional Properties of Component-Based Software Systems: A Semantic Framework and Some Applications Thereof

Steffen Zschaler

Software and Systems Modelling 9, Apr 2009

Bib HTML PDF Supp

@article{Zschaler09,
  author = {Zschaler, Steffen},
  title = {Formal Specification of Non-functional Properties of Component-Based Software Systems: A Semantic Framework and Some Applications Thereof},
  year = {2009},
  journal = {Software and Systems Modelling},
  pages = {161--201},
  volume = {9},
  issue = {2},
  month = apr,
  publisher = {Springer},
  doi = {10.1007/s10270-009-0115-6},
}