Diana Carolina Benjumea Hernández

PhD Computer Science Student
The University of Manchester
Email: diana.benjumeahernandez@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk

About Me

I have a diverse background, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering, an MSc in Data Science and Analytics, and currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science. My professional journey has led me to gain experience in various industries, including aviation safety, underground mining maintenance, reliability, and software development.

Topics of Interest

• Robotic Autonomous Systems
• Software Verification
• Software Architectures
• Safety-critical Computer Systems
• BDI Programming Languages

Professional Activities

Part of the local organizing committee of The 19th International Conference on Integrated Formal Methods 2024.

Part of the organizing committee of the International Workshop on Formal Methods for Autonomous Systems 2024.

Member of the Autonomy and Verification Network

Publications

• Benjumea, D. C., Laniado, H., & Combita, O. (2023). Analytical model to monitor the oil conditions on the main components of mining dumpers. Results in Engineering, 100934. Link

A good reference for engineers who intend to understand oil data and promote the development of lifetime models of components. The paper studies lifetime expectation of the main components of dumpers considering oil data. These lifetimes were analyzed by using the Cox proportional hazard model and a new robust version of the same model that is the main contribution of this work. The results show that robust version introduced has better performance than Cox classical model.

• Benjumea, D. C. (2024, June). Formalising safety requirements for robotic autonomous systems in highly regulated domains. In 2024 IEEE 32nd International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE) (pp. 512-516). IEEE. Link

This paper presents a systematic approach to ensuring the safe operation of Robotic Autonomous Systems (RAS) in regulated environments, using the UK nuclear safety regime as a case study. By formalising functional safety requirements and integrating them into a rules-based Safety System, we demonstrate compliance with industry standards. A real-world application involving an inspection robot highlights the feasibility and importance of safety assurance across the RAS lifecycle. Link to aditional material

PhD Thesis

Autonomous Robotic Rules Based Reasoning System for use in UK Nuclear Environments
In the UK, the nuclear regulatory regime requires a safety claim to be argued and substantiated for any activity. However, existing techniques for assuring the behaviour of autonomous robotics systems, that are efficient to use regularly, are not robust enough for use in nuclear environments. The proposed research aims to develop a methodology for creating and verifying Safety Instrumented Functions (SIFs) using rule-based reasoning system technology that is well-understood and amenable to mathematical verification. The methodology will involve the use of tools to capture safety requirements expressed in natural language and convert these into expressions into temporal logic, and then the use of model-checking technology to verify the SIF against these requirements. The SIF will then interact with the Autonomous Robotic system to constrain its behaviour to a safe envelope. This will be validated with a demonstration based on a use case of an inspection task with safety requirements based on avoiding collisions between the robot and its environment.

Supervisors: Dr. Louise Dennis and Dr. Christopher Anderson and Dr. Marie Farrell

Other projects

Data Scientist • CAF – Development Bank of Latin America: Participation as a Data Scientist in Manos a la Data project - Colombia: CAF’s project to promote the use of analytical methodologies and tools in LATAM by public sector entities.

“Development and evaluation of mathematical and epidemiological models that support decision-making in response to the emergency due to SARS- Cov-2 and other causative agents of ARI in Colombia using Data Analytics and Machine Learning” in collaboration with ALIANZA CAOBA, GIDITIC EAFIT research group and the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF).

Teaching experience

Oct 2023 - Present
Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) • The University of Manchester • Manchester, UK

• Engaged in assisting with courses such as: Algorithms and Data Structures, Software Engineering, Data Science, and Automated Reasoning and Verification.
• Providing support and guidance to students in understanding and performing tasks related to the course.
• Evaluating and grading student work, including assignments, projects, and exams, to provide constructive feedback on their performance.

Work experience

Mar 2022 - Jul 2023
Software Developer • Steady Technologies, Inc • New York, USA
Responsible to participate in the development of data pipelines and aggregation systems, including building of necessary data scrapers and integrations with a variety of service providers, vendors, and partners via API and ensuring that code adheres to data science and data engineering best practices.

Oct 2021 – Mar 2022
Chief Reliability Officer • Gran Colombia Gold Corp • Segovia, Colombia
As Head of Reliability in Gran Colombia Gold Colombia’s Office, I was responsible to assure the optimum performance of the mining company through Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS).

Oct 2020 – Oct 2021
Maintenance Analyst • Gran Colombia Gold Corp • Segovia, Colombia
Analyzing schedule, manpower, training and task impact on the Line Maintenance workload at the system and station level and leadind project teams on various workload/schedule topics, including workload manpower standards

Dec 2018 – Oct 2020
Safety Management System Analyst • Viva Air • Rionegro, Colombia
Responsible for managing the flight data analysis and risk management program for the airline Viva Air in Colombia.

Jul 2018 – Dec 2018
Safety Management System Intern • Viva Air • Rionegro, Colombia
Carrying out, write and implement risk assessments – Implement safety policies and procedures as well as documentation updated to comply with legislation.

Education

PhD Computer Science Jul 2023 - Present. The University of Manchester. Manchester, UK.

• Engaged in a research project focused on developing an autonomous safety system for operations in UK nuclear environments, ensuring compliance with the UK nuclear regulatory regime.
• An active member of both the Autonomy and Verification Network and the Autonomy and Verification Research Group.

MSc Data Science and Analytics Jan 2020 - Dec 2022. Universidad EAFIT. Medellín, Colombia.

• Final year project: Analytical model to monitor the oil conditions on the main components of mining dumpers.
• Using the Cox proportional hazard model and an enhanced robust version of the same model, I studied the lifetime expectation of the primary components of dumpers, considering oil data.
• The robust version introduced shows better performance compared to the Cox classical model, serving as a valuable reference for engineers seeking to understand oil data and advance the development of lifetime models for components.

BEng Aeronautical Engineering Jan 2014 - Apr 2019. Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. Medellín, Colombia.

• Six-month internship involved designing the flight data analysis program at Viva Air, a Colombian low-cost airline.
• Final year project: Conceptual and preliminary design of a commercial aircraft.

Awards

Aug 2024 – Mar 2025
RAICo Junior Fellow

My Fellowship is entitled “Autonomous System for use in UK Nuclear Environments”. This work aims to demonstrate an AI-based autonomous robot safety architecture that works in compliance with the UK nuclear regulatory regime. This research has the potential to transform nuclear decommissioning practices, providing safer and more efficient solutions for some of the world’s most challenging environments.

Get in Touch

I’m always excited to connect with fellow developers, collaborate on exciting projects, and discuss all things related to web development, open source, and technology. You can find me on LinkedIn for professional networking or reach out to me via email.