D-RisQ | About | UK | High Tech | Aerospace & Defence | Marine | Automotive | Autonomy | Robotics | Cyber | Swarms | Complex Systems

TAKE a closer look AT WHO WE ARE

D-RisQ is a high-tech UK company, specialising in producing software and systems verification technologies, Worcestershire – and based in Malvern, the home of one of the UK’s newest high technology business clusters and a historically important location in terms of scientific invention.

Continuing in this history of innovation, Government backed legacy software developed over 30 years in the Defence sector, is the foundation of the unique software development products which have been developed by D-RisQ for commercial use as well as in the aerospace and defence sectors.

Since 2012, we’ve built an expert team of highly qualified mathematicians, computer scientists and consultants, analysts and developers to help “change the way the world does software”.

Following more than a decade of R&D, we have taken the core technology and created a suite of world-leading software development tools for commercial application in user-friendly formats. These tools enable substantial savings in time and cost of software development for safety critical, security critical and business critical software development.

During this period, working with clients and on collaborative projects with innovation partners, we have demonstrated the benefits of the D-RisQ suite of software development tools.

End-to-end verification of safety critical embedded software (YouTube.com)

MEET THE LEADERSHIP TEAM

The founding directors came together to pool their expertise and experience in 2011. They are committed to fostering innovation in software design for complex systems and all the challenges those present, now and in the future. Together, they are able to provide game-changing software solutions to organisations who are struggling with the increasing complexities and costs of their system development.

David Sheppard

David understands the needs of business having worked in high tech manufacturing and R&D environments for over 40 years. He has worked with the likes of Smiths, Racal, Thales, BAeS, QinetiQ and Ricardo. Since 1983, he’s also been closely involved in a number of safety-critical systems development projects and played an integral role in business growth and transformation across all sectors from engineer, through project management to MD and CEO.
He is also the Chairman of the business led Economic Growth Board for East Sussex and a Director of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership.

Nick Tudor

During his 20 years with the Royal Air Force, Nick was senior software adviser on multiple air programmes including JSF, Eurofighter, Chinook and UK Ministry of Defence policies on the safety of software systems. Nick has spent nearly two further decades working within the aerospace, autonomous systems and automotive, rail, nuclear, medical devices and cyber-security sectors, engaging with government departments and businesses large and small in the UK, and internationally. He was one of the key authors of DO-178C which is the de facto software standard for aerospace and is part of the panel which has been advising the Federal Aviation Authority and its European counterpart on DO-178C, since its issue. As an acknowledged specialist in the field, he currently acts as Design Authority Chair for OLTER, a programme focused on setting benchmarks for the acceptance of offshore autonomous systems.

Colin O’Halloran

Colin has over 40 years of experience in high integrity systems, operating as a scientist, consultant and business group manager with RSRE, DERA and QinetiQ. He’s also a visiting professor at the University of York and was previously a full professor of computer science at the University of Oxford. Colin is an internationally recognised expert in the validation and verification of software-based systems using formal methods. At RSRE he developed parts of the MALPAS analysis tool along with translators into its Intermediate Language.
Within DERA he was the technical authority for the development of the formal semantics of SPARK 83 carried out by PVL Ltd. Within QinetiQ he led the team that developed tools to mathematically verify the flight and engine control software for the Typhoon aircraft as well as the Auto-throttle and Auto-pilot. In 1996 he served on the European Space Agency’s Board of Inquiry into the very first launch of Ariane 5 and compiled those parts of the report concerning the software’s contribution to the failure.

THE foundation of our work

Building on the work of Sir Tony Hoare’s research group at the University of Oxford and Professor Mike Gordon’s research group at the University of Cambridge, D-RisQ’s formal methods technology provides the mechanism to deliver complete verification to the highest regulatory standards at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods.

With formal methods based mathematical tools covering requirements capture and design verification, backed up by future source code and object code verification, D-RisQ provides automated verification solutions for the most demanding system needs.

Our approach provides any developer with true software design agility and helps significantly reduce the development and long-term costs of the system. Regardless of how complex your system is or how stringent your sector regulations are, our tools can scale, to increase the savings and provide complete high-quality behavioural assurance.

DEDICATION | EXPLORATION | INNOVATION

What makes us one of the best UK high-tech companies for developing software verification systems

TAKE a closer look AT WHO WE ARE

David Sheppard

Nick Tudor

Colin O’Halloran