Dr. Matteo Vaccargiu

Biography

Matteo Vaccargiu is a Research Associate at the Chair of Information Systems and Software Engineering at the University of Hohenheim. He holds a PhD in Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology from the University of Camerino and Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mathematics from the University of Cagliari, Italy.

His research focuses on Empirical Software Engineering, with particular emphasis on the human and behavioral aspects of software development. He investigates developer behavior, collaboration, coordination, communication, and emotions in open-source software communities, including the emerging role of AI agents in software engineering. His research employs mining software repositories, data mining, statistical analysis, network analysis, and natural language processing.

His previous research also addressed blockchain ecosystems, decentralized energy markets, and sustainability, combining technical and socio-technical perspectives on software engineering.

For further information, visit the personal website: https://matteovaccargiu.github.io/

Contact

Emailmatteo.vaccargiu[at]uni-hohenheim.de
Officebuilding 5.11, room 1.11
AddressUniversity of Hohenheim
Information Systems and Software Engineering (580E)
Schwerzstr. 35
70599 Stuttgart
Germany
Office hours

After aggreement (E-mail)

Personal websitehttps://matteovaccargiu.github.io/
Google Scholarhttps://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Zvp0OW4AAAAJ&hl=it
LinkedInwww.linkedin.com/in/matteo-vaccargiu-04b7b61a7

Current research projects

Behavioral Software Engineering Research EXLAHO Laboratory (Hector Stiftung, 2026–2029)

The Hector Stiftung-funded research EXLAHO laboratory at the University of Hohenheim supports empirical research at the intersection of Software Engineering, Information Systems, and Behavioral Sciences. The laboratory enables controlled experiments and observational studies, integrating audiovisual recording systems and psychophysiological measurements to investigate human behavior in software development.

The research focuses on three main areas: (i) software quality and development practices in digital transformation, (ii) adoption and use of AI-based tools by software engineers, and (iii) validity of code comprehension studies and the impact of software metrics on developer behavior and performance.

Research interests

  • Developer Behavior, Collaboration, and Communication in Open-Source Software Teams

  • Programming Language Ecosystems

  • Human–AI Collaboration and Interaction in Software Development

  • AI Agents in Software Engineering

  • Mining Software Repositories

  • Statistical Modeling

  • Network Analysis

  • Natural Language Processing and Text Analysis

Teaching

Winter Semester 2026/27

Software Development Management – M.Sc. Information Systems

Software engineering processes, agile software development, Scrum, requirements engineering, software project management, and team coordination.

Summer Semester 2027

Data Exploration and Visualization – M.Sc. Information Systems

Exploratory data analysis, data manipulation, and visualization using Python, NumPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib.

Theses

I am available to supervise Bachelor's and Master's theses in English on research topics related to my research interests, particularly in Empirical Software Engineering, Behavioral Software Engineering, Mining Software Repositories, AI in Software Engineering, and Open-Source Software Communities.

Interested students should follow the official thesis application procedure described on the Chair's website. If you would like to work with me, please explicitly mention my name (Matteo Vaccargiu) in your application. The Chair will then put you in contact with me to discuss potential research topics.