PhD Candidate · Idaho State University

Costain Nachuma

I research how AI reshapes software engineering — from agentic code review to supply chain security — and build tools that make code easier to understand.

Pocatello, ID costainnachuma@isu.edu SECReT Lab Advisor: Dr. Minhaz Zibran
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7
Publications
4.0
GPA
10+
Years Industry
300+
Users Supported
4
Awards Won

About

🤖
AI & Software Engineering
Studying how AI agents collaborate in code review and development workflows
📊
Empirical Research
Large-scale mining of GitHub and Maven ecosystems using Python data pipelines
🔒
Supply Chain Security
Quantifying dependency risks and evaluating SBOM tools across open-source ecosystems

PhD candidate in Computer Science at Idaho State University (GPA: 4.0), researching AI-assisted software engineering, interactive software visualization, and large-scale empirical analysis of open-source ecosystems. Published at top venues including MSR 2026, MSR 2025, and ACM SAC 2024. Before academia, I spent 10+ years as a Software Engineering Lead at the National Assembly of Zambia, delivering systems used by 300+ government users. I bring both rigorous research depth and real production experience.

🏛️ SECReT Lab — Software Engineering & Cybersecurity Research Team 🤝 Advisor: Dr. Minhaz Zibran

Selected Publications

A selection of recent work. View full publication list on Google Scholar →

MSR 2026 · 23rd International Conference on Mining Software Repositories
When AI Teammates Meet Code Review: Collaboration Signals Shaping the Integration of Agent-Authored Pull Requests
Nachuma, C. & Zibran, M. F.
Poster presented at MSR 2026 Mining Challenge — Brazil
MSR 2025 · 22nd International Conference on Mining Software Repositories
Decoding Dependency Risks: A Quantitative Study of Vulnerabilities in the Maven Ecosystem
Nachuma, C., Hossan, M. M., Turzo, A. K. & Zibran, M. F.
MSR 2024 · 21st ACM International Conference on Mining Software Repositories
ChatGPT in Software Development: Insights from Empirical Analysis
Champa, A., Rabbi, M., Nachuma, C. & Zibran, M.
ACM SAC 2024 · ACM Symposium on Applied Computing
Evaluating SBOM Generation Tools: A Deep Dive into the npm Ecosystem
Rabbi, M., Champa, A., Nachuma, C. & Zibran, M.

Professional Experience

Graduate Research & Teaching Assistant
Idaho State University — Pocatello, ID
Aug 2023 – Present
  • Designed and implemented an Eclipse plugin for interactive software visualization, enabling developers to explore structural relationships and software metrics within the IDE.
  • Conducted a Systematic Mapping Study (Kitchenham's guidelines) synthesizing literature on software visualization tools.
  • Built reproducible data pipelines to extract and model pull request and dependency data from GitHub and Maven at scale using Python (Pandas, NumPy).
  • Applied regression analysis to study AI agent behavior in code review workflows — produced a peer-reviewed publication at MSR 2026.
  • Mentored 20+ students in advanced OOP, algorithms, and database systems.
Instructor of Record — CS 3309: Advanced Object-Oriented Programming
Idaho State University — Pocatello, ID
Fall 2025
  • Sole instructor for a full undergraduate course covering advanced OOP principles, design patterns, and software engineering practices.
  • Designed coursework, delivered lectures, held office hours, and assessed student performance independently.
Senior ICT Officer / Software Engineering Lead
National Assembly of Zambia — Lusaka, Zambia
Jun 2012 – Sep 2023
  • Directed mission-critical IT operations supporting 300+ users across government departments, maintaining high system reliability.
  • Led end-to-end development and modernization of parliamentary web platforms and digital workflow systems.
  • Reduced issue resolution time by 30% through infrastructure optimization and workflow redesign.
  • Planned and managed sectional training budgets; delivered technical training to staff and senior management.
Systems Librarian Intern
Prosentient Systems Pty — Sydney, Australia
May 2019 – Jul 2019
  • Developed a Java-based real-time communication tool improving cross-institutional research collaboration.
  • Administered Linux servers and open-source platforms (DSpace, Openfire) using Git and SSH.

Education

Ph.D. in Computer Science — Software Engineering & Cybersecurity
Idaho State University — Pocatello, ID  ·  GPA: 4.0
Aug 2023 – May 2027
  • Dissertation: Interactive IDE-integrated software visualization tools for code comprehension
  • Research areas: Empirical Software Engineering, AI-assisted development, Software Supply Chain Security
M.Sc. in Computer Science
University of New Orleans — New Orleans, LA
2021 – 2023
B.Sc. in Computer Science
University of Zambia — Lusaka, Zambia
2007 – 2011

Technical Skills

Languages
PythonJava C#JavaScriptSQL
Data & ML
PandasNumPy Linear RegressionLogistic Regression Feature Engineering
Databases
PostgreSQLMySQL OracleNeo4j
DevOps & Systems
LinuxGit DockerGitHub Actions
Research Methods
Empirical SESystematic Mapping HCI MethodsStatistical Modeling
Cybersecurity
Supply Chain RiskThreat Intelligence SBOM EvaluationCyber Resilience

Awards & Recognition

🏆
Best Oral Presentation
ISU Research & Creative Works Symposium, 2026
🥇
Best Poster Award
ISU Research & Creative Works Symposium, 2026
🥇
Best Poster Award
4th Annual Intermountain ITC Conference, 2024
🏆
Best Oral Presentation
ISU Research & Creative Works Symposium, 2024

Leadership & Volunteering

Team Lead — TechEquity AI Summit, Plug and Play Tech Center, Sunnyvale, CA  ·  Nov 2025
Led 50+ volunteers supporting 2,000+ attendees; coordinated exhibitor and executive stakeholder engagement.
CS Mentor — Idaho State University  ·  2023 – Present
Provide mentorship in programming fundamentals, career development, and technical interview preparation.
President — University of Zambia Computer Society (UNZACS)  ·  2010
Organized coding bootcamps and workshops, increasing student participation in computing initiatives.
Certifications
🎓 IBM / Coursera: Python for Data Science, AI & Development (2026)

Let's Connect

Whether you're a collaborator, fellow researcher, or just want to connect — feel free to reach out.

costainnachuma@isu.edu Connect on LinkedIn Download CV