Johann Glock

Johann Glock

PhD Candidate in Software Engineering

University of Klagenfurt · Advisor: Prof. Martin Pinzger · Expected graduation: Q4 2026

My research focuses on automated program analysis for regression detection and software test generalization. I develop tools that apply symbolic execution to practical software engineering problems, bridging formal verification techniques and real-world developer workflows.

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Experience
2021–present
University Assistant (PhD Candidate)
University of Klagenfurt – Software Engineering Research Group · Klagenfurt, Austria
  • Research on semantic differencing and software test generalization under Prof. Martin Pinzger.
  • Lab instructor for Software Engineering I & II (7 semesters). Ran lab sections independently.
  • Supervised BSc and MSc theses and projects in software testing, analysis, and engineering.
2018–2021
Research Associate
University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria – AIST Research Group · Hagenberg, Austria
  • Technical lead for applied research prototypes in FFG-funded projects with industry partners.
  • Designed and built prototypes in security intelligence, data engineering, and augmented reality.
  • Collaborated with industry partners and other research groups across 5 projects.
2012–2018
Web Developer
MICROLAB GmbH · Ried im Innkreis, Austria
  • Full-stack web development for clients in insurance, agriculture, tourism, and other industries.
  • Managed client relationships from requirements gathering through delivery and support.
  • Built and maintained the company's proprietary CMS using PHP, JavaScript, and HTML/CSS.
Education
2021–present
Dr. techn. (PhD) in Informatics
University of Klagenfurt · Klagenfurt, Austria
Thesis: Formal Guarantees Meet Practical Constraints: From Semantic Differencing to Test Generalization for Regression Detection
Advisor: Prof. Martin Pinzger
2018–2020
MSc in Software Engineering
University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria · Hagenberg, Austria
Thesis: Mining Software Repositories for the Effects of Design Patterns on Software Quality
Advisor: Prof. Josef Pichler
With Distinction Merit Scholarship GPA 1.07
2015–2018
BSc in Software Engineering
University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria · Hagenberg, Austria
Theoretical thesis: Evaluating and Adapting Trello for Use in Scrum Teams
Practical thesis: Design and Implementation of the System Architecture for a Mixed Reality Board Game
Advisor: Prof. Herwig Mayr
With Distinction Merit Scholarship
2007–2012
Matura in Electronics — Technical Informatics
HTL Braunau · Braunau am Inn, Austria
With Distinction
Continuing Education

Doctoral training and self-study courses.

Research Methods IEEE, Wiley 9 hours
Leadership & Organization AAU 8 hours
Diversity & Inclusion AAU, iMoox 58 hours
Higher Education Didactics AAU 16 hours
Publications Publication details →
Teralizer: Semantics-Based Test Generalization from Conventional Unit Tests to Property-Based Tests
Johann Glock, Clemens Bauer, Martin Pinzger Under Review
PASDA: A Partition-based Semantic Differencing Approach with Best Effort Classification of Undecided Cases
Johann Glock, Josef Pichler, Martin Pinzger JSS 2024
Microservice API Evolution in Practice: A Study on Strategies and Challenges
Alexander Lercher, Johann Glock, Christian Macho, Martin Pinzger JSS 2024
Aiding Developer Understanding of Software Changes via Symbolic Execution-based Semantic Differencing
Johann Glock ICSE DS 2024
Mining Software Repositories for the Effects of Design Patterns on Software Quality
Johann Aichberger MSc Thesis 2020
Software Projects Project details →
Erenshor Community Tools Active
Interactive maps, mods, and wiki bot for the Erenshor community
Ancient Kingdoms Compendium Active
Data-mined compendium and interactive world map for Ancient Kingdoms
Personal Website Active
Portfolio and CV presenting my research and engineering work
10-Man Codex Inactive
Data-mined game codex for the 10-Man Idle community
Teaching & Supervision
Lab Instructor
Software Engineering I University of Klagenfurt · 3 semesters Program analysis, software testing (unit, integration, mutation, TDD), refactoring, and code metrics
Software Engineering II University of Klagenfurt · 4 semesters Agile development (Scrum), multiplayer board/card game Android apps in teams of 4–7
Tutor
Advanced Image Processing and Analysis University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria · 1 semester
Basic Web Technology University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria · 1 semester
Supervision

3 MSc theses (all 3 ongoing) · 2 MSc projects · 4 BSc theses · 3 BSc interns · 3 high-school interns

MSc Theses
Clemens Bauer Ongoing Generating Property-based Tests for Java Methods
Merlin Volkmer Ongoing Automated Detection and Refactoring of Test Smells in Java Test Suites
Olivier Aartsen Ongoing Evaluation of Optimization Methods that Improve the Performance of Videogames on PC
MSc Projects
Clemens Bauer SymPreProc: Code Transformations Aiding Symbolic Execution
Roberto Van Eeden Minifuzz: Implementation of a Binary Concolic Fuzzer
BSc Theses
Bodo Thausing Onboarding Methods in Software as a Service
Dominik Hartl Automated Testing of a Spring Boot Application Using the Testcontainers Framework and Continuous Integration
Markus Kofler Kubernetes Operator Management
Richard Neumann Digital Assistant for a Hospital Information System
Internship Mentoring

3 BSc interns (AIST/i2f project) and 3 high-school interns (FFG summer internships at AAU)

Service & Outreach
Reviewer
TOSEM (1 paper + revision)
Sub-reviewer
FSE 2026 ×2, FSE 2025, ICSE 2024, SANER 2024
Outreach
TechTalents — 3 editions (2022–2023), introducing high-school students to software testing
Long Night of Research(2025) — Hands-on demos of software engineering research for the public
Skills
Research Interests
Test GeneralizationTest GenerationRegression Test SelectionProperty-Based TestingSymbolic ExecutionConstraint SolvingSemantic DifferencingEquivalence CheckingRegression VerificationFault LocalizationFuzzingMining Software Repositories
Languages & Tools
JavaC#/.NETPythonPHPTypeScriptJavaScriptHTML/CSSSQLGitDocker + ComposeGitHub ActionsAgentic CodingClaude CodeOpenCode