High Confidence Software and Systems Conference
The twenty-fifth annual High Confidence Software and Systems (HCSS) Conference, renowned for bringing together a world-class community of researchers, will take place during the week of May 12th, 2025 in Annapolis, Maryland. This annual event is structured to explore and promote new scientific and technological foundations essential for the development of next-generation engineered designs, crucial for the effective operation of life-, safety-, security-, and mission-critical systems.

About HCSS

 

The pervasive role of information technology and cyber-physical systems (CPS) in our lives forces us to rely in diverse and often unexpected ways upon the correctness and integrity of those computing systems—with our privacy, safety, security, and well-being all increasingly dependent upon them.

The High Confidence Software and Systems (HCSS) Conference, now in its third decade, was created to support the interchange of ideas among researchers, practitioners, and research managers from Government, research labs, and industry practice. HCSS provides a forum for dialogue centered upon the development of scientific foundations together with innovative and enabling software and hardware technologies for the assured engineering of complex computing systems. These systems, which include networked and cyber-physical systems, must be capable of interacting correctly, safely, and securely with humans and the physical world even while they operate in changing and possibly malicious environments with unforeseen conditions. In many cases, they must be certifiably dependable.

New foundations in science, technology, and advanced practice continue to be needed to build these systems with computing, communication, information, and control pervasively embedded at all levels. These new foundations have the potential to enable entirely new generations of engineering designs that are becoming essential for effectively operating life-, safety-, security-, and mission-critical applications, and that can enhance US competitiveness across economic and industrial sectors, while assuring the privacy, safety, and security of our Nation’s citizenry.

With a technical emphasis on mathematically-based tools and techniques, and scientific foundations supporting evidence creation and systems assurance and security, the HCSS conference pursues the goal of growing a skilled practitioner community through a program of invited speakers, panel discussions, and a relevant and compelling technical track. The conference vision is one of motivating, sustaining, and growing a community focused around the creation of dependable systems that are capable, efficient, and responsive; that can work in dangerous or inaccessible environments; that can support large-scale, distributed coordination; that augment human capabilities; that can advance the mission of national security; and that enhance quality of life, safety, and security.

Questions? Email the organizers at hcss@sos-vo.org

2025 Program Committee

Embedded Node

  P R O G R A M   C O - C H A I R S  

Darren CoferDARREN COFER is a Principal Fellow at Collins Aerospace. He earned his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.  His area of expertise is developing and applying advanced analysis methods and tools for verification and certification of high-integrity systems. His background includes work with formal methods for system and software analysis, the design of real-time embedded systems for safety-critical applications, and the development of nuclear propulsion systems in the U.S. Navy.

Dr. Cofer has served as principal investigator on government-sponsored research programs with NASA, NSA, AFRL, and DARPA, developing and using formal methods for verification of safety and security properties.  He served on RTCA committee SC-205 developing new certification guidance for airborne software (DO-178C) and was one of the developers of the Formal Methods Supplement (DO-333). He is a member of SAE committee G-34 for Artificial Intelligence in Aviation, the Aerospace Control and Guidance Systems Committee (ACGSC), and a senior member of the IEEE.

Sandeep Neema HeadshotSANDEEP NEEMA is a Professor with the Department of Computer Science, and Director of the Institute for Software Integrated Systems, Vanderbilt University. He served a Program manager at DARPA’s Information Innovation Office (I2O) from July 2016 till September 2022. In his tenure at DARPA he conceived, developed, and managed influential programs at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Physical Systems, that included programs such as Assured Autonomy, Symbiotic Design of Cyber Physical Systems, and Assured Neurosymbolic Learning and Reasoning. His research interests include Cyber Physical Systems, Model-based Design Methodologies, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and Distributed Real-time Systems. Dr. Neema has authored and co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed conference, journal publications, and book chapters. 

Dr. Neema holds a Doctorate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Vanderbilt University, and a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Utah State University. He earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India.

 P R O G R A M   C O M M I T T E E  

PERRY ALEXANDER, The University of Kansas       
JUNE ANDRONICK, Proofcraft        
KATHLEEN FISHER, DARPA       
JOHN HATCLIFF, Kansas State University        
JOHN LAUNCHBURY, Galois, Inc.       
PATRICK LINCOLN, SRI International       
STEPHEN MAGILL, Sonatype       
BRAD MARTIN, National Security Agency

 MARTIN, National Cyber Security Centre       
LEE PIKE, Amazon Web Services        
RAY RICHARDS, Leidos       
WILLIAM SCHERLIS, Carnegie Mellon University       
ERIC W. SMITH, Kestrel Institute       
SEAN WEAVER, DARPA      
MATT WILDING, DARPA
KRISTIN YVONNE ROZIER, Iowa State University

  O R G A N I Z E R S   

KATIE DEY, Vanderbilt University    
ANNE DYSON, Cyber Pack Ventures       
AMY KARNS, Vanderbilt University       
REGAN WILLIAMS, Vanderbilt University

Thank you to our 2024 donors!


 

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Diamond Level   

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Platinum Level  

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Gold Level  

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Donor Opportunities

 

Please contact Katie Dey (hcss@sos-vo.org) for questions or other sponsorship opportunities.

Participation Levels

Diamond - $1,500

Platinum - $1,000

Gold - $500

The name of your institution and logo will be prominently displayed on the HCSS website, printed program materials, and conference signage. Please send a high-res copy of your logo to Katie: hcss@sos-vo.org

Accepted methods of payment: credit card or check.