Limassol, Cyprus
March 2026
Computer Science
The 33rd IEEE International Conference on Software Analysis, Evolution and Reengineering (SANER 2026) was successfully held in Limassol from March 17 to 20, 2026. The conference brought together 123 academics, researchers, students, and industry professionals from 33 countries, including Germany, Canada, Brazil, and South Korea.
The event was hosted by the Department of Computer Science at the University of Cyprus under the auspices of IEEE. It took place at the St Raphael Resort and Marina, a modern venue offering high-quality conference facilities in a unique coastal setting.
SANER 2026 was organized as a hybrid event, allowing both in-person and virtual participation, and supporting broad international engagement. The conference was chaired by Prof. Georgia Kapitsaki, who ensured the successful coordination and smooth operation of all activities.
Programme
The conference programme began with a series of workshops and tutorials, including FAIRNESS, GREENVOLVE, and VST, providing participants with opportunities for in-depth discussion on emerging topics in software engineering.
The keynote speakers highlighted current challenges and developments in the field. Nicole Novielli from the University of Bari “A. Moro” delivered a keynote on “Mining Emotions in Software Engineering: From Text to Biometrics,” while Alexander Serebrenik from Eindhoven University of Technology presented “Development of Infrastructure as Code: Approaches, Challenges and Trends.”
During the closing ceremony, several outstanding research contributions were recognized with Distinguished Paper Awards. Lev Sorokin, Ivan Vasilev, Ken Friedl, and Andrea Stocco received the Distinguished Paper Award for “STELLAR: A Search-Based Testing Framework for Large Language Model Applications”. Amit Kumar, Ethari Hrishikesh, and Sonali Agarwal received the Distinguished Paper Award for “Leveraging Commit-Size Context and Hyper Co-Change Graph Centralities for Defect Prediction”. Chunguang Zhang, Bixin Li, and Yan Xiao received the IEEE Computer Society TCSE Distinguished Paper Award for “Beyond Lexical: Functional Semantics and Fusion for Precise Architecture Recovery”. Yuqing Niu, Jieke Shi, Rundong Han, Ye Liu, Chengyan Ma, Yunbo Lyu, and David Lo received the Distinguished Paper Award for “What You Trust Is Insecure: Demystifying How Developers (Mis)Use Trusted Execution Environments in Practice”.
Moreover, the following Programme Committee members of the Research Track were presented with the Best Reviewer Award in recognition of their valuable contributions: Fabio Palomba, Catia Trubiani, Tibor Gyimothy, Mathieu Nassif, Lyuye Zhang, Fatima Sabir, and Klara Borowa.
The Most Influential Paper (MIP) Award was presented to the SANER 2016 paper titled “Examining the Impact of Self-admitted Technical Debt on Software Quality”, authored by Sultan Wehaibi, Emad Shihab, and Latifa Guerrouj.
SANER 2026 continued its collaboration with leading journals and publications, including Empirical Software Engineering (Springer), Journal of Systems and Software (Elsevier), Information and Software Technology (Elsevier), Journal of Software: Evolution and Process (Wiley), Science of Computer Programming (Elsevier), Automated Software Engineering (Springer), and IEEE Software.
The social programme of SANER 2026 played an important role in enhancing networking and fostering meaningful connections among participants. The welcome reception, held at the conference venue, offered a relaxed setting where attendees could reconnect with colleagues and establish new professional relationships. Overlooking the peaceful Mediterranean Sea, the reception combined informal discussions with a calm and welcoming atmosphere, reflecting the unique character of Limassol.
Acknowledgments
In her closing remarks, Prof. Georgia Kapitsaki stated: “SANER continues to play an important role in advancing research and collaboration in software engineering. We are grateful to all participants for their contributions and for making this year’s conference a success.”
The organizers would like to thank Amazon Web Services for its sponsorship. AWS is a global provider of cloud computing services, enabling innovation and scalable digital solutions. They also acknowledge the support of the IEEE Computer Society, which is celebrating 80 years of advancing computing as a science and profession, supporting researchers and practitioners worldwide.
The conference organization was supported by Easyconferences, which provided its Online Registration System and Conference Management Services, ensuring efficient management and coordination of the event.
Next Location
The next edition of SANER will take place in Richmond, United States. Richmond is a city known for its historical significance and its evolving cultural landscape. Situated along the James River, it combines preserved historic architecture with a growing creative and technological community. The city offers a distinctive environment for academic exchange, with its blend of tradition and modern development, vibrant neighborhoods, and accessible natural surroundings. Its walkable districts, cultural institutions, and local dining scene provide an engaging setting for future conference participants.
About the Organizers
The Department of Computer Science at the University of Cyprus is a leading academic department recognized for its research excellence and contribution to the advancement of computer science and software engineering. IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, supporting global collaboration, innovation, and knowledge dissemination across engineering and computing disciplines.
