Today’s AI-based systems are deeply embedded in critical infrastructures, including autonomous vehicles, aerospace systems, banking platforms, and energy networks. Ensuring these systems operate safely and reliably is one of today’s defining challenges.
The appointment of Faculty of Engineering professor Lionel Briand as Distinguished Research Chair in Trustworthy AI-enabled Software Systems by the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation is not only a recognition of his past excellence but an initiative that will advance the reliability and safety of modern AI technologies.
Briand’s research focuses on “trustworthy” AI, ensuring that systems aren’t only functional but also safe, secure and ethically sound. With this Distinguished Research Chair, his work will continue to make an impact across industries where trustworthy AI-based software is essential infrastructure.
Where software engineering and artificial intelligence meet
Briand’s research stands at the intersection of software engineering and artificial intelligence. Unsurprisingly, the Distinguished Research Chair will operate on a dual framework:
- Software engineering for AI: Ensuring AI components behave reliably and meet strict safety standards within integrated systems.
- AI for software engineering: Leveraging AI to enhance development technologies, boosting both productivity and system dependability.
While AI software has unique technical characteristics that require specialized verification and validation, it also serves as an engine to streamline complex tasks like automated code repair and advanced testing.
A world-class scholar
Briand ranks among the scholars with the most impact in his field worldwide. He’s one of the few to have been elected a fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the two leading professional societies in computing. He has held two Tier-1 Canada Research Chairs and received many other prestigious international accolades, including the two main ACM and IEEE research awards in software engineering.
Recently, Briand’s achievements, influence on the field and high-impact collaborations with academia and industry led to his leadership of the new Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence at the Faculty of Engineering. This centre serves as a collaboration hub, seeking to stay at the forefront of the AI revolution by connecting researchers with industry and government partners.
Strengthening industry collaboration and technology transfer
Throughout his career, Briand’s work has been rooted in industry collaboration, with partnerships spanning the financial, aerospace, automotive and energy sectors.
One example of this is Briand’s collaborative research with General Motors, which focused on automated testing of AI software and use of generative AI to analyze system safety requirements. There are many others, shaping the future of mobility.
The Distinguished Research Chair will allow Briand to further expand this ecosystem, ensuring that research outcomes affect industrial practices. “This will give me the visibility required to find industry partners to support my research program,” he says.
Beyond his own impact, Briand also mentors graduate students, who go on to lead innovation themselves. He creates stimulating and intellectually rigorous research environments that promote creativity, collaboration and professional development. His mentorship emphasizes both scientific excellence and real-world impact, often involving students in projects with industrial partners.
Positioning Canada as a global leader in trustworthy AI
Briand’s research is contributing to Canada’s strategic priorities in artificial intelligence and digital innovation, strengthening the country’s global competitiveness.
“Given the current developments of AI across many critical application contexts, this research is bound to have a widespread impact,” says Briand.
“I increasingly focus on developing novel techniques to ensure AI-enabled systems are safe to deploy and use.”
Lionel Briand
— Distinguished Research Chair in Trustworthy AI-Enabled Software Systems
By addressing trust and safety in AI, Canada can lead in setting international standards for responsible technology development.
This new research chair will allow Briand to focus on work that will:
- Enable safer autonomous systems
- Improve financial and digital security
- Reduce software failures in critical infrastructure
- Accelerate AI-driven innovation across industries
This initiative will not only push the boundaries of research but also deliver tangible benefits in technologies are both powerful and dependable.
“I have earned numerous international awards, but this marks the first institutional award I have received in seven years at the University of Ottawa,” Briand says. “Being recognized by your university colleagues is also very important in an academic career.”
