Yiannis Papadopoulos

Professor Yiannis Papadopoulos

Professor

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Science and Engineering
  • School of Computer Science

Qualifications

  • PhD / DPhil (University of York)

Summary

Professor Papadopoulos is a foremost international expert on safety of computer systems including safety of AI and intelligent systems. For over 25 years he is leading a research group on Dependable Intelligent Systems. In this period, he has pioneered a method and set of tools for model-based safety/reliability assessment and evolutionary optimisation of complex engineering systems known as Hierarchically Performed Hazard Origin and Propagation Studies (HiP-HOPS). He has also co-authored EAST-ADL, an emerging automotive architecture description language.

These technologies have gained wide academic recognition and, though an global ecosystem of software houses, have been successfully transferred to the automotive, shipping and other industries, where they have been commercialised and successfully deployed in design and engineering processes.

Professor Papadopoulos is currently pioneering new model-based and data driven technologies for dynamic safety assurance of autonomous and cooperative systems that include swarms of robots and autonomous cars. His group is currently developing cutting-edge statistical methods for improving the safety of AI, including safety of Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Large Language Models.

More information about his academic and industrial projects can be found on his personal website @ https://yipapadopoulos.wixsite.com/yiap

My teaching currently covers modules on Software Engineering focusing on techniques for model-based development, object-oriented systems, software modelling notations such as those defined in UML and techniques for dependability analysis and verification of system and software design. I am also teaching a module on Digital Disruption and Innovation in which I draw from my own technology transfer activities to help entrepreneurial students understand the fundamentals of business innovation and planning, as well as providing connections to the local business ecosystem. ​

I have recently taught at the DISC PhD summer school in Netherlands and teach short courses on Safety of Computer Systems and Software.

Modules Presently Being Taught at University of Hull

- 3rd year: Safety Critical Systems

- 3rd year: Digital Disruption and Innovation

- MSc level: Dependable Reactive Real-Time Systems

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Journal Article

Andromeda: A model-connected framework for safety assessment and assurance

Retouniotis, A., Papadopoulos, Y., & Sorokos, I. (2025). Andromeda: A model-connected framework for safety assessment and assurance. Journal of Systems and Software, 220, Article 112256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2024.112256

Measuring AI Fairness in a Continuum Maintaining Nuances: A Robustness Case Study

Paxton, K., Aslansefat, K., Thakker, D., & Papadopoulos, Y. (2024). Measuring AI Fairness in a Continuum Maintaining Nuances: A Robustness Case Study. IEEE Internet Computing, 28(5), 11-19. https://doi.org/10.1109/MIC.2024.3450815

Presentation / Conference Contribution

Safety Monitoring for Large Language Models: A Case Study of Offshore Wind Maintenance

Walker, C., Rothon, C., Aslansefat, K., Papadopoulos, Y., & Dethlefs, N. (2024, February). Safety Monitoring for Large Language Models: A Case Study of Offshore Wind Maintenance. Presented at Safety Critical Systems Symposium SSS'24, Bristol, UK

Report

Safety Analysis Concept and Methodology for EDDI development (Initial Version)

Aslansefat, K., Gerasimou, S., Michalodimi-trakis, E., Papoutsakis, M., Reich, J., Sorokos, I., Walker, M., & Papadopoulos, Y. (2023). Safety Analysis Concept and Methodology for EDDI development (Initial Version). European Comission

Safety-Security Co-Engineering Framework

Aslansefat, K., Gerasimou, S., Hamibi, H., Matragkas, N., Michalodimitrakis, E., Papadopoulos, Y., Papoutsakis, M., & Walker, M. (2023). Safety-Security Co-Engineering Framework. European Commission

Research interests

Design of Safety Critical and Dependable Systems

Dependable, Responsible Trustworthy AI

Safety of Machine Learning

Safety of Autonomous Systems

Safety of Systems of Systems

Model-based Systems, Software & Safety Engineering

Dependability (Reliability, Safety, Availability) Analysis of Systems

Model-based Automated Safety Analysis, HiP-HOPS, Model-Checking

Automatic Safety Argumentation

Optimisation of System Architecture and Maintenance

Metaheuristics, Genetic Algorithms, AI applications in Engineering

Applications in automotive, aerospace, rail, shipping & offshore, telehealth industries

AI applications in Art, Generative Art

Lead investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

H2020 - ICT - DEIS

Funder

EC European Commission

Grant

£461,398.00

Started

1 February 2017

Status

Complete

Project

Secure and Safe Multi-Robot Systems

Funder

EC European Commission

Grant

£482,634.00

Started

1 January 2021

Status

Complete

Project

DREAM: Data-driven Reliability-centered Evolutionary Asset Manager

Funder

EDF Energy

Grant

£30,000.00

Started

1 September 2018

Status

Complete

Co-investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

National Edge AI Hub for Real Data: Edge Intelligence for Cyber-disturbances and Data Quality

Funder

EPSRC Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council

Grant

£214,328.00

Started

1 February 2024

Status

Ongoing

Project

Digital Twin through Physics-Informed Deep Learning for Offshore Wind Turbine Gearing Fault Diagnosis and Prognosis

Funder

University of Hull

Grant

£5,000.00

Started

1 March 2024

Status

Ongoing

Project

The Alan Turing Institute - Post-Doctoral Enrichment Awards

Funder

The Alan Turing Institute

Grant

£2,000.00

Started

1 March 2022

Status

Complete

Postgraduate supervision

Professor Papadopoulos welcomes applications in all areas of his research. The key requirements for PhD applicants are a good degree, strong software engineering skills, and an exploratory mind. Much of the work has extensive industrial applicability and is done in collaboration with large industrial organisations which are technology leaders in their field.

Despite the many applications of this work in the engineering of technologically advanced systems, such as electric and semi-autonomous cars, the work involved in those PhD projects does not require any knowledge of these engineering domains and is mainly focused on computer science, and the development and implementation of novel algorithms and tools using standard computer equipment and programming environments.

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Current PhDs

- Connor Walker, Safe LLMs for Maintenance

- Razieh Arshadizadeh, Model repair in Executable Digital Dependability Identities

- Kuniko Paxton, Machine Learning Fairness in a Continuum

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Completed PhDs (as first supervisor)

- Luis Torrao (2024), Timaeus - Tetrahedral Illuminated Media Augmented Scupltures

- Athanasios Retouniotis (expected 2023), Model-Connected Safety Cases

- Koorosh Aslansefat (expected 2022), Addressing Complexity and Intelligence in Systems Dependability Evaluation

- Ioannis Sorokos (2018), Generation of Model-Based Safety Arguments from Automatically Allocated Safety Integrity Levels

- Luis Azevedo (2015), Scalable Allocation of Safety Integrity Levels in Automotive Systems

- Zhibao Mian (2014), Model Transformation for Multi-objective Architecture Optimisation for Dependable Systems

- Shawulu Nggada (2013), Multi-objective System Optimisation with Respect to Availability, Maintainability and Cost

- Nidhal Mahmud (2012), Dynamic Model-based Safety Analysis: from State Machines to Temporal Fault Trees

- Amer Dheedan (2012), Distributed On-line Safety Monitor Based on Safety Assessment Model

- Septavera Sharvia (2011), Integrated Application of Compositional and Behavioural Safety Analysis

- David Parker (2010), Multi-objective Optimisation of Safety-Critical Hierarchical Systems

- Ian Wolforth (2010), Specification and Use of Component Failure Patterns

- Martin Walker (2009), Pandora - A Logic for the Qualitative Analysis of Temporal Fault Trees

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