Dr Lipika Deka investigates how software-intensive systems evolve and how their architectural integrity and assurance can be maintained as software, AI components and the entire system change. She uses AI and model-based methods to study these challenges.
A computer engineer by training, she holds a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Guwahati, an PG and UG in Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Dibrugarh University, India respectively. Her doctoral research examined concurrency control for consistent online backup in transactional file systems, sealing the foundation of her current research in software-system maintenance. Following postdoctoral research at Loughborough University, she joined De Montfort University, becoming Associate Professor before returning to Loughborough as Senior Lecturer in Systems Engineering.
Her research encompasses dynamic software updates, container-based automotive virtualisation and software architecture degradation. She led the Leverhulme Trust-funded PRESERVE project on architectural erosion in evolving IoT systems, supporting preventive maintenance to extend system lifetimes and reduce electronic waste. She also develops machine learning approaches for transportation, cybersecurity, agriculture and water infrastructure through interdisciplinary and industrial collaborations.
Her experience includes doctoral supervision, research translation and academic leadership, including four years as Faculty Head of Research Students at De Montfort University. Her developing research agenda combines model-driven engineering and model-based systems engineering for continuing assurance of conventional and AI-enabled systems. She aims to connect architectural models with operational evidence to detect drift, assess change and sustain confidence throughout the system lifecycle. She welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD students in the above described areas.
Research
Lipika's research investigates how software-intensive systems evolve and how their integrity and assurance can be maintained throughout their lifecycle. She use's AI and model-based methods to detect architectural degradation, understand the consequences of change and support timely intervention. Building on work in concurrency control, dynamic software updates and IoT architecture erosion, she is developing approaches that integrate model-driven engineering and model-based systems engineering with operational evidence to support continuing assurance of conventional and AI-enabled systems. Her aim is to enable dependable, adaptable and sustainable digital infrastructure.
Grants and Contracts
- Collaboratory Research Hub (Studentship)
- Rethinking models and policies for first and last mile travel: connecting rural areas beyond city boundaries, 2025–2028 (Co-I).
- RAi UK / UKRI Technology Missions Fund
- OPTIcut on route to Market, 2025–2026 (£102,026) (Co-I).
- Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship
- PRESERVE: PREventing Software architecture Erosion as inteRnet-of-things evolve, 2024–2025 (£48,182) (PI).
- EIT – OPTIcut: a decision support system to reduce fruit waste, enhance quality control and maximise profitability in the banana supply chain, 2022–2023 (£5,700) (Co-I).
- Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation – Development of Advanced Models for the Characterisation of Bifacial Photovoltaic Systems, 2022–2026 (£141,000) (Project Partner).
- EPSRC ICT Discipline Hopping – Membrane-Cyber-Physical System (m-CPS) for Smart Water Treatment, 2020–2024 (£181,467) (Project Partner).
- Innovate UK ICURe – OPTIcut: a decision support system to reduce fruit waste, enhance quality control and maximise profitability in the banana supply chain, 2020 (£28,521) (Entrepreneurial Lead).
- KTP – Developing and embedding machine learning capabilities for agricultural satellite downstream applications, 2018–2020 (£139,000) (Co-I).
Lipika holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education from De Montfort University and has extensive experience in curriculum development and programme leadership. She led the development and launch of the MSc Data Analytics programme and served as Programme Leader for MSc Business Intelligence Systems and Data Mining. Her undergraduate programme leadership includes BSc Business Intelligent Systems, BSc Computing for Business, BSc Information Technology and BSc Computer Science.
Her teaching experience includes data structures and concurrent algorithms, operating systems and networks, methods and standards in software development, alongside supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate projects in software engineering, robotics and artificial intelligence.