About Me
Hi, and thank you for visiting my profile. I’m Muhammad Imran, a researcher in Software Engineering currently based in Italy. I am completing my Ph.D. in Information and Communication Technology at the University of L’Aquila, where I work at the SPENCER Laboratory under the supervision of Prof. Vittorio Cortellessa.
I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering from the International Islamic University Islamabad in 2010 and my Master of Science in Computer Science from King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia, in 2014. From February to April 2025, I was a visiting researcher with the Software and Sustainability (S²) Group at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where I contributed to work on energy estimation in Java systems.
My research focuses on automating performance problem detection in software systems using empirical methods, machine learning, and large language models (LLMs). I explore the relationship between source code features and performance behavior, and have worked on performance test coverage analysis, energy modeling in Java, and LLM-based performance bug detection. My work integrates static code analysis, dynamic analysis unsing profiling tools, and predictive modeling, with publications to venues such as EMSE and EASE.
In addition to research, from 2015 to 2022, I taught undergraduate computer science courses for over seven years at two universities, covering subjects such as Software Engineering, Programming (Java, C++), Requirements Engineering, Web and Mobile Development, and Design Patterns. I also supervised final-year projects and contributed to program-level academic committees, including project evaluation and BS program accreditation.
Feel free to explore my work or reach out for collaboration!
Achievements
- June 2022 Ph.D. Scholarship, University of L'Aquila -- Awarded for doctoral studies in Computer Science
- Feb 2012 International Scholarship (MSc), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah -- Awarded for academic excellence in MSc Computer Science program
- Sep 2006 Merit Scholarship (BSc), International Islamic University -- Awarded for high academic performance in Software Engineering Undergraduate Program
Curriculum Vitae
Education
Ph.D. in Information and Communication Technologies
University of L’Aquila, Italy | 2022-2025
Master of Science in Computer Science
King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, | 2012-2014
CGPA: 4.82/5.0
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering
International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan, | 2006-2010
CGPA: 3.83/4.0
Experience
Researcher (Scientific Collaborator)
Software and Sustainability (S²) Group, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands | Feb 2025 – Apr 2025
Lecturer
International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan | Feb 2019 – May 2022
Lecturer
Iqra University, Islamabad Campus, Pakistan | Jul 2015 – Jan 2019
Software Engineer
Diyatech Pvt. Ltd., Islamabad, Pakistan | May 2011 – Nov 2011
Jr. Software Engineer
360 Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Islamabad, Pakistan | Sep 2010 – Apr 2011
Projects
Agent-Based Security Testing of Web Applications
MSc thesis project focused on detecting vulnerabilities using static and dynamic code analysis. Designed a testing tool to support security assessment of Java-based web applications. Resulted in a peer-reviewed publication.
Arabic Plagiarism Detection System
Contributed to a departmental research project using NLP and similarity-based techniques. Focused on Arabic text processing and detection of cross-document reuse. Work contributed to a peer-reviewed publication.
Storage Edge (Microsoft SharePoint)
Product developed at Diyatech to enhance Microsoft SharePoint storage and performance. Contributed to module development, integration, and sprint-aligned feature delivery. Collaborated with the engineering team in an Agile setup.
Navy Budget Management System (BMS)
Developed for the Pakistan Navy to manage budgeting processes and workflows. Worked on requirements elicitation, system design, and implementation in ASP.NET (C#). Delivered core functionality in coordination with stakeholders and internal dev team.
Publications
Is Code Coverage of Performance Tests Related to Source Code Features? An Empirical Study on Open-Source Java Systems
Muhammad Imran, Vittorio Cortellessa, Davide Di Ruscio, Riccardo Rubei, Luca Traini
Empirical Software Engineering (EMSE), Volume 30, article number 157, (2025)
An Empirical Study on Code Coverage of Performance Testing
Muhammad Imran, Vittorio Cortellessa, Davide Di Ruscio, Riccardo Rubei, Luca Traini
International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering (EASE), 2024
Dynamic Analysis for Security Testing of Web-Based Applications Using Agent Technology
Muhammad Imran, Khalid Jambi, Fawzi Eassa
4th Intl. Conf. on Advances in Computing, Communication and Information Technology (CCIT), 2016
Query Optimization in Arabic Plagiarism Detection: An Empirical Study
Imran H. Khan, M. A. Siddiqui, Khalid M. Jambi, Muhammad Imran, Abdullah A. Bagais
International Journal of Intelligent Systems and Applications (IJISA), 7(1), 2015
Improving the Operating System Resource Management by Processes Simulation
Muhammad Imran, Wajeeh Alhalabi
International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research (IJSER), 5(2), 2014
An Empirical Investigation on the Use of Large Language Models for Performance Bug Detection
Muhammad Imran, Vittorio Cortellessa, Davide Di Ruscio, Riccardo Rubei, Luca Traini
Submitted at SANER 2026
Method-Level Energy Prediction in Java Using Code Features and Execution Time
Muhammad Imran, Ivano Malavolta, Vincenzo Stoico
Submitted at ICPC 2026