# Chia Sabah > Personal site of a PhD researcher working on model-driven engineering, formal methods and AI agents. - Canonical: https://chiasabah.com - This document is served identically at https://chiasabah.com/llms.txt, https://chiasabah.com/llms-full.txt and https://chiasabah.com/.md - Also published as a readable page at https://chiasabah.com/llm-info - Rendered from the site content on 2026-09-20, build 67dfc7a - All four paths render from one builder. Copies with the same build ref are identical; if two disagree, one was fetched from an earlier deployment. ## Contents - [Currently](https://chiasabah.com/#currently): What the work is about right now, the active roles plus where to find me. - [Research](https://chiasabah.com/#research): Live research output alongside the researcher development record. - [Story](https://chiasabah.com/#story): Schooling as a strip of stages and gaps, higher education plus awards. - [Experience](https://chiasabah.com/#experience): Every post held, newest first, grouped by employer. - [Writing](https://chiasabah.com/#writing): Written pieces. --- # Currently > What the work is about right now, the active roles plus where to find me. Source: https://chiasabah.com/#currently ## PhD researcher. Model-driven engineering, formal methods and AI agents. Building tools that make implicit project knowledge **explicit**, **verifiable** and **inexpensive**. **Fields:** MDE, Formal Methods, AI Agents, MCP ### Research output - Agentic MonoContext MDE ### Active roles - PhD researcher - Graduate Teaching Assistant - PGR College Representative, CSE ### Find me | Where | Handle | URL | | --- | --- | --- | | ORCID | 0009-0004-9766-4184 | https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9766-4184 | | Wikidata | Q141422288 | https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141422288 | | GitHub | chiasabah | https://github.com/chiasabah/ | | Hugging Face | chiasabah | https://huggingface.co/chiasabah | | LinkedIn | chia-sabah | https://www.linkedin.com/in/chia-sabah/ | | X | chia_sabah | https://x.com/chia_sabah | | YouTube | chia_sabah | https://www.youtube.com/@chia_sabah | | Instagram | chiasabah | https://www.instagram.com/chiasabah/ | --- # Research > Live research output alongside the researcher development record. Source: https://chiasabah.com/#research ### Research output (1 project) #### Agentic MonoContext MDE Stage: live | https://agenticmonocontextmde.github.io/ A context catalogue framework that stores project knowledge as typed, scoped and evidence-backed items in a local SQLite database. Serves task-relevant subsets to AI coding agents via an MCP server under a configurable token budget. ### Researcher development | 7 entries Newest first. Types present: Summer school, Conference, Activity, Training. 3 entrys international. #### Marktoberdorf 2026 Summer school | Aug 2026 | international Participated and presented in the prestigious Marktoberdorf Summer School (also known as the NATO summer school). The theme was "Engineering Secure and Dependable Software Systems", organised by Fortiss and Technische Universität München; the lecturers were world-leading experts and scientists both from academia and industry. Free State of Bavaria, Germany. #### AgileMDE 2026 International Workshop, STAF Conference | 29 Jun 2026 to 03 Jul 2026 | international Presented Agentic MonoContext MDE on 01 July at the Institute for Research in Computer Science and Random Systems (IRISA), University of Rennes, France. Our paper Context as a First-Class Model for Agentic Software Development was accepted to the workshop. #### Session chair, Doctoral College Researcher Conference Activity | 24 Jun 2026 #### Doctoral College Researcher Conference Conference | 23 to 24 Jun 2026 Attended both days. Presented Optimising Context for Agentic Software Development. #### Delivering an Effective Presentation Training | 09 Jun 2026 Online. #### International Conference on Fundamental Approaches to Software Engineering (FASE) 2026 artifact evaluation committee Conference | Jan to Feb 2026 | international Review load discharged. #### Doctoral College Researcher Conference Conference | Apr 2025 Attended to present. Held at the Sir Bob Burgess Building. --- # Story > Schooling as a strip of stages and gaps, higher education plus awards. Source: https://chiasabah.com/#story ### School | 13 transitions | 4 gaps Every stage in order, gaps included. The gaps were Y5, Y9, Covid, MSc. | Stage | Detail | Gap | | --- | --- | --- | | PS | ×3 | no | | P1 | 1-3 | no | | P2 | 3-4 | no | | P3 | 4 | no | | GAP | Y5 | yes | | P4 | 6 | no | | S1 | 7 | no | | S2 | 8 | no | | S3 | 8-10 | no | | GAP | Y9 | yes | | S4 | 10-11 | no | | 6F | 12-13 | no | | GAP | Covid | yes | | Uni | yr 1-3 | no | | GAP | MSc | yes | | PhD | now | no | ### Higher education #### Software Engineering, BSc Years: '21-24 First class in every semester. #### Cloud Computing, MSc (skipped) Offer accepted, then stepped straight into doctoral work. #### PhD Years: '24- Model-driven engineering, formal methods and AI agents. Funded by the doctoral studentship. ### Awards | 2 prizes | 2 scholarships Oldest first. #### Centenary Scholarship 2021 | scholarship Santander Universities award, made on entry to the BSc in the university's centenary year. #### Best Software Engineering Project Group Award 2022/23 | prize Group project, awarded across the cohort. #### Best Final Year Software Engineering Project Prize 2023/24 | prize Final year individual project, sole recipient. #### Fully funded doctoral studentship 2024 | scholarship Awarded at the start of the PhD, carrying a Graduate Teaching Assistant role. --- # Experience > Every post held, newest first, grouped by employer. Source: https://chiasabah.com/#experience 19 posts across 13 blocks, newest first. An employer appears more than once when its posts are separated in time. ### University of Leicester Students' Union Leicester, England | 1 yr #### PGR College Representative, College of Science and Engineering Part time | Jun 2026 to present | 4 mos Working in coordination with the PGR officers at the Students' Union to build a stronger postgraduate research voice across the college, making sure feedback from the PGR representatives plus the students behind them is heard. Five departments and schools: - Computing and Mathematical Sciences - Chemistry - Geography, Geology and the Environment - Engineering - Physics and Astronomy #### Computing and Mathematical Sciences Postgraduate Representative Full time | Oct 2025 to Jun 2026 | 9 mos Represented postgraduate researchers to the Doctoral College alongside the Students' Union. Turned PRES survey data into practical fixes, pushed for more chances to present research, better access to office plus study space, events that put researchers in the same room. ### University of Leicester Leicester, England | 1 yr 11 mos #### PhD Researcher Full time | Nov 2024 to present | 1 yr 11 mos Model-driven engineering, formal methods and AI agents. #### Graduate Teaching Assistant Full time | Nov 2024 to present | 1 yr 11 mos Teaching alongside the doctorate, carried by the studentship. ### Marktoberdorf Summer School Free State of Bavaria, Germany | 1 mo #### Participant and Presenter Full time | Aug 2026 | 1 mo Participated and presented in the prestigious Marktoberdorf Summer School (also known as the NATO summer school). The theme was "Engineering Secure and Dependable Software Systems", organised by Fortiss and Technische Universität München; the lecturers were world-leading experts and scientists both from academia and industry. ### Self-employed 3 yrs 5 mos #### Website Developer Self-employed | Aug 2022 to Dec 2025 | 3 yrs 5 mos Built plus maintained this site alongside the University of Leicester Women in Law Society site. ### University of Leicester Leicester, England | 3 yrs 4 mos #### BSc Software Engineering Full time | Sep 2021 to Jun 2024 | 2 yrs 10 mos First class in every semester across the three years. Graduated with a first. #### Computer Science Teaching Assistant Part time | Oct 2022 to Jan 2024 | 1 yr 4 mos Lab teaching across four modules: software architecture and system development in Java with Spring Boot, databases and domain modelling in MySQL, programming fundamentals in Python, plus algorithms and data structures. #### Student Learning Community, management and member Full time | Sep 2021 to Sep 2023 | 2 yrs 1 mo Academic enhancement work alongside extra-curricular events, including Peer Assisted Study Sessions for computer science students. #### PASS session facilitator Full time | Mar 2021 to Jul 2023 | 2 yrs 5 mos Coached students who were stuck, working from where they actually were rather than from the syllabus. Built sessions on transferable skills. #### Student Personal Development Facilitator Part time | Sep 2022 | 1 mo Induction work with incoming students on organisation, study method, sourcing material plus handling a first term. ### Leicester MedTech Foundation Leicester, England | 2 mos #### Software Engineer, Technology Innovator Internship | Feb 2024 to Mar 2024 | 2 mos National medicine and technology programme run through Leicester. Identified NHS pathways carrying long waiting times, then built against them in a team. ### University of Leicester Students' Union Leicester, England | 10 mos #### Software Engineering Course Representative Full time | Oct 2022 to Jul 2023 | 10 mos Conveyed student feedback to teaching staff, chaired the Student Staff Committee, worked with other representatives on problems that crossed years. University Council involvement via the Students' Union Annual Members Meeting, voting as a formal student voice on welfare budgets, mental health initiatives plus departmental structural change. ### Cummins Daventry, England | 3 mos #### Manufacturing Operator Full time | Jul 2022 to Sep 2022 | 3 mos Held a stage of the assembly line under production pressure and fixed cycle times. ### Nuffield Foundation Coventry, England | 3 mos #### Research Intern Internship | Jul 2018 to Sep 2018 | 3 mos Materials engineering research. Ran experiments across varied conditions, reported findings to the programme, submitted for the CREST Gold Award. ### Kier Group Birmingham, England | 1 mo #### Civil Engineering Placement Volunteering | Jul 2018 | 1 mo Shadowed bridge and motorway design, including the environmental assessment side of highway projects. ### Our Place Support Royal Sutton Coldfield, England | 2 mos #### Community Support Placement Volunteering | Aug 2017 to Sep 2017 | 2 mos Mentoring and personal development work with young people. ### National Citizen Service Kent, England | 3 mos #### Group Member and Leader Volunteering | Jul 2017 to Sep 2017 | 3 mos Post-16 programme on teamwork, communication and leadership. ### BVSC Birmingham, England | 2 mos #### LGBT Inclusion Placement Volunteering | Jul 2017 to Aug 2017 | 2 mos Advocacy and support work with LGBT people across Birmingham. --- # Writing > Written pieces. Source: https://chiasabah.com/#writing ### Attending (and presenting at) Marktoberdorf Aug 2026. Historically known as a NATO ASI, Organised by fortiss, supported by AWS and directed by Peter Müller and Alexander Pretschener. https://chiasabah.com/writing/marktoberdorf #### About the Marktoberdorf Summer School The Marktoberdorf summer school (also known as a NATO ASI) is a prestigious one that has been historically supported by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Program, thus, there were certain constraints for attendees, as a result it may not have become as famous as it could have over the years (this year's school was supported by fortiss and AWS). In the past, many experts and world-changing scientists have attended the school and they are well known (or impactful). The summer school has been held in Germany and hosted by different academics throughout the years. #### Getting there When going to the airport to take the flight to Germany, the airline support service told me that I could not travel due to issues on their end, however, immediately after that, they said to me to "Go back home". I said no, I stayed for a couple of hours and then I emailed the organisers of Marktoberdorf; the response was then forwarded to the German Border Police, after which the airline could not override their decision and they let me board the aeroplane. Due to the issues with the airline, there was a change of flight and an additional waiting time of 12 hours! After arriving in Germany, I took the train to go to the summer school; surprisingly there were no charging ports near the seats of the train that I had taken. At the final stop I decided to order a taxi, the time was around 23:20. There was an acceptance of the proposed offer for the taxi, but they never showed up, as a result of the waiting, my phone shut down. I was now left in this small town, with no internet access, no map and no communication; as a result I had to walk 50 minutes whilst dragging my suitcase to my intended final destination, however, there were no lights illuminating the path in this little town, though, the night was clear and there were many stars, more than I could count. Surprisingly, at around midnight, there was a man who was walking his dog, he suffered from weak hearing so I was shouting English to this German man while doing my best to convey to him that I appreciate his help using all the hand signs I could think of (specifically the British Sign Language). I walked past the man and there were a few teenagers who were out on a walk, this time I asked the same question for the directions and their response was the exact same "Walk this way" as they pointed. I kept walking the same path without knowing where my destination was located; finally after 45 minutes, I was nearing the outskirts of the town and there was a white car which drove by, I waved and they stopped, the passenger said "oh, it's only 100 metres away, would you like us to help?", "Yes" I said. The people of this little town I had stayed in, they were kind. #### At Marktoberdorf At the summer school, there were students who were doing their doctoral research as well as post-graduate students who were undertaking their master's, it was evident that we all shared the same interests, one experience that stands out the most is that all the students were open-minded, willing to consider different perspectives to different proposals. An observation of mine that stands out the most is that all the lecturers had a positive perception of the world, extremely motivated, passionate and interested in the work they were doing, such observation was reflected in their enthusiasm during their lectures as well as the regular conversations that we had taken part in over meals, activities and other encounters. During the school, I was the first to give a student presentation on my doctoral work, Agentic MonoContext MDE, which is currently a context catalogue for Agentic-AI systems with the aim of constraining the actions an AI-agent takes based on specified properties by an operator. I am as I write, still intrigued by the magnitude of collaboration between the different experts (and their groups) from all over the world, from a non-academic perspective such collaboration could have easily been perceived as competition, in this instance of participation, this was false. #### The Lecturers The following lecturers all presented to the participants. They greatly shaped the atmosphere at the school and presented on a wide array of different topics all with unique perspectives. Alexander Pretschner (Technical University of Munich & fortiss) Jean-Christophe Filliâtre (CNRS / Université Paris-Saclay) Orna Grumberg (Technion - Israel Institute of Technology) John Mitchell (Stanford University) Peter Müller (ETH Zürich) Sukyoung Ryu (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) Jasmin Blanchette (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) Jonathan Protzenko (Google) Leonardo de Moura (Amazon Web Services (AWS)) Mike Dodds (Galois, Inc.)