ERMSEI 2026
Mon 7 - Fri 11 September 2026 Eindhoven, Netherlands

ERMSEI Summer School

The ERMSEI Summer School is the place to go if you are a junior researcher and want to start doing empirical work in a Software Engineering or Informatics context but don’t know how or lack a local support system.

Goal

The goal of this summer school is to get junior researchers started on using empirical research methods on software engineering topics. We emphasize practical, hands-on exercises throughout the course because that is the only way to really get going. We focus on providing overview rather than details: those are better learned by reading specialized books. We will try to work on your research topics as much as possible, delivering real and immediate value to participants.

Speakers

  • Harald Störrle, QAware, Munich, Germany
  • N.N., to be announced

Topics

We will cover all major research methods, i.e., controlled experiments, a selection of qualitative methods, and the major approaches to secondary research. We will also discuss study design as the most important obstacle to high quality empirical research, but we will not cover statistics or specialized tools such as R. The whole summer school is based on case studies of actual published empirical research, and quite possibly your own research projects.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Morning 09:30-13:00 - Introduction
- Controlled Experiments
- Observations and Measurements
- Physiological Measurements
- Field Work
- Qualitative Methods
- Interviews
- Secondary Research
- Structured Literature Reviews
- Mapping Studies
- Research Design
- Philosophical Perspective
- Theory
Afternoon 14:00-18:30 - Statistical Techniques
- Threats to Validity
- Surveys
- Practical exercise
- Observational Techniques
- Grounded Theory
- Ethnography
- Tertiary Studies
- Ethics
- Practical exercise

Venue

The summer school will take place at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS). The exact location on campus and some more practical details will be announced to participants together with the notification.

Further Information

The course Web Site is found at https://conf.researchr.org/home/ermsei-2026 and will be updated continuously. You might also want to follow the facebook site or the official LinkedIn page. Or have a look at the (new) Flier.

Supporters

Call for Participation

Prerequisites

Participants are expected to be PhD students at an early to medium stage of their work, or MSc students close to completing their degree with a view to continuing towards a PhD. Exceptions will be considered when free seats are available. Previous experience in empirical methods, or a first degree in CS, SE, IS, or a related field are not required. Thinking hard about an ongoing or upcoming personal research project in the area of SE, however, is recommended.

Applying

Attendance is limited to 25-30 participants. Applications are processed first-come-first-serve, but we reserve the right to exclude applicants whose profile is not well-aligned with the course’s prerequisites. In order to support your application, please fill in the Registration Form. The form will also require the upload of a PDF document (max 1 page) containing:

  • your interest in the school;
  • a short tabular CV that allows us to assess your experience in the area; and
  • a description of your ongoing or upcoming research project.
  • an additional (short) recommendation letter from your PhD supervisor (where appropriate) The early bird registration deadline is July 31st 2026; notifications of acceptance will be given continuously as the applications come in.

Registration

The Registration link and fees are listed in the Registration page. Students affiliated with SIKS are eligible to a discount. The participation fee includes the lectures as such with accompanying material, refreshments and lunches, and a social dinner. Accommodation and travel will have to be covered by the student. We may have financial hardship assistance available, depending on attendance and sponsorship.

The registration page can be find HERE.

Feel free to distribute the Flier

Questions? Use the ERMSEI Course contact form.