Call for papers, Special Issue for the Q-SE workshop at ICSE 2026

Name of the call: Quantum Software Engineering (Q-SE 2026) Special Issue

Description

Q-SE invites original contributions that span the full breadth of Quantum Software Engineering, embracing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research.

We welcome work that pushes the boundaries of foundational theory, tackles pressing emerging challenges, and bridges the gap between conceptual advances and practical deployment.

Submissions can also include industry experience reports, offering actionable insights into how established approaches can be adapted, refined, or scaled in real-world contexts; research methods for collaborative research, creating stronger pathways for shared discovery between academia and industry; and industrial challenges with real-world quantum software engineering, highlighting problems where cross-sector expertise is needed to devise robust, impactful solutions.

This Special Issue builds upon the themes of the 7th International Workshop on Quantum Software Engineering (QSE 2026, https://conf.researchr.org/home/icse-2026/q-se-2026), co-located with ICSE 2026 in Rio de Janeiro.

Topics of Interest:

We invite submissions on (but not limited to) the following areas:

  • Quantum Software Testing and Debugging
  • Quantum Software Verification
  • Quantum Software Coding Practices
  • Quantum Software Reuse
  • Quantum Software Execution
  • Quantum Software Analysis
  • Quantum Software Architectures
  • Error Correction
  • Quantum Programming Languages
  • Service-oriented Quantum Software
  • Industrial Applications
  • Empirical Evaluations
  • Teaching Quantum Software Engineering Emerging
  • and Hot Topics

We are particularly interested in cutting-edge contributions on:

Quantum Software Stack Engineering Hybrid Solutions Q-SE for NISQ Architectures Quantum DevOps The Intersection of Quantum Computing and AI

Tentative time frame:

Opening date: April 15, 2026 (Date of the workshop)

Deadline for submissions: July 15, 2026

Guest editor list

  • Anila Mjeda, CyberSkills, MTU Munster Technological University; Lero - the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, Ireland. anila.mjeda@mtu.ie
  • Marcos L. Chaim, University of São Paulo, Brazil. chaim@usp.br
  • Sophie Fortz, Inria, Univ. Rennes, CNRS, IRISA, France. sophie.fortz@kcl.ac.uk