Severin Kacianka

Software (Germany), Technical University of Munich

Papers

Total Citations

297

H-Index

About

Severin Kacianka is a leading researcher at the intersection of robotics, security, and responsible AI. His work is defined by a dual focus: hardening the software foundations of robotic systems and critically examining the societal impacts of their deployment. Kacianka’s foundational contributions to securing the Robot Operating System (ROS) are widely recognized; his 2017 paper, "Security for the Robot Operating System" (163 citations), and his subsequent work on application-level security (82 citations) have been instrumental in identifying and addressing critical vulnerabilities in ROS, a platform increasingly vital for industrial applications. This technical rigor is complemented by his groundbreaking socio-technical research, most notably the highly influential 2022 study "Robots Enact Malignant Stereotypes" (50 citations), which exposed how machine learning biases in vision and language models can lead robots to perform harmful, discriminatory behaviors. Further extending his impact, Kacianka has developed formal frameworks for accountability in Cyber-Physical Systems, using structural causal models to ensure that autonomous decisions remain transparent and subject to oversight. His career uniquely bridges the gap between building secure, reliable systems and ensuring they are deployed justly, making him a vital voice in the future of robotics.