CV
Education
| Degree | Institution | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor of Science (Technology) | Aalto University, Espoo, Finland | 2026 |
| Master of Science in Computer Science — Summa cum laude | University of Liège, Belgium | 2021 |
| Bachelor of Science in Computer Science — Cum laude | University of Liège, Belgium | 2019 |
Research Experience
Visiting Student Researcher — Stanford University, Stanford, USA (04.2025 – 06.2025)
Department of Computer Science, Piech Lab · Host: Prof. Chris Piech
Doctoral Researcher — Aalto University, Espoo, Finland (2021 – 2026)
Department of Computer Science
Research Assistant — Aalto University, Espoo, Finland (02.2021 – 09.2021)
Department of Computer Science, LeTech Research Group
Research Intern — EVS Broadcast Equipment, Liège, Belgium (06.2020 – 08.2020)
Innovation Research Team
Teaching Experience
Head Teaching Assistant — Aalto University (2024)
Software Design and Modelling, Department of Computer Science
Teaching Assistant — Aalto University (2022, 2023)
Software Design and Modelling, Department of Computer Science
Teaching Assistant — University of Liège (2017, 2018)
Introduction to Programming, Montefiore Institute
Research Supervision
Master’s Thesis Advisor — Aalto University (2024)
L. Pasquarelli · led to a publication at FIE 2025
Master’s Thesis Advisor — Aalto University (2023)
K. J. Kulangara
Publications
Conference Publications
C. Koutcheme, J. Woodrow, C. Piech: Aligning Small Language Models for Programming Feedback: Towards Scalable Coding Support in a Massive Global Course. SIGCSE TS ‘26, February 2026
L. Lee Solano, C. Koutcheme, J. Leinonen, A. Vassar, J. Renzella: Fine-Tuning Open-Source Models as a Viable Alternative to Proprietary LLMs for Explaining Compiler Messages. SIGCSE TS ‘26, February 2026
L. Pasquarelli, C. Koutcheme, A. Hellas: AI Chatbots vs. Traditional Search: A Comparative Study on Student Information Retrieval. IEEE FIE 2025, 2025
C. Koutcheme, N. Dainese, S. Sarsa, A. Hellas, J. Leinonen, S. Ashraf, P. Denny: Evaluating Language Models for Generating and Judging Programming Feedback. SIGCSE TS ‘25, February 2025
T. Lehtinen, C. Koutcheme, A. Hellas: Let’s Ask AI About Their Programs: Exploring ChatGPT’s Answers to Program Comprehension Questions. ICSE-SEET ‘24, May 2024
C. Koutcheme, N. Dainese, S. Sarsa, A. Hellas, J. Leinonen, P. Denny: Open Source Language Models Can Provide Feedback: Evaluating LLMs’ Ability to Help Students Using GPT-4-As-A-Judge. ITiCSE ‘24, July 2024
A. Hellas, J. Leinonen, S. Sarsa, C. Koutcheme, L. Kujanpää, J. Sorva: Exploring the Responses of Large Language Models to Beginner Programmers’ Help Requests. ICER ‘23, August 2023
C. Koutcheme, S. Sarsa, J. Leinonen, L. Haaranen, A. Hellas: Evaluating Distance Measures for Program Repair. ICER ‘23, August 2023
C. Koutcheme, S. Sarsa, J. Leinonen, A. Hellas, P. Denny: Automated Program Repair Using Generative Models for Code Infilling. AIED 2023, June 2023
C. Koutcheme: Training Language Models for Programming Feedback Using Automated Repair Tools. AIED 2023, June 2023
S. Sarsa, J. Leinonen, C. Koutcheme, A. Hellas: Speeding Up Automated Assessment of Programming Exercises. UKICER ‘22, September 2022
C. Koutcheme, A. Tilanterä, A. Peltonen, A. Hellas, L. Haaranen: Exploring How Students Solve Open-ended Assignments: A Study of SQL Injection Attempts in a Cybersecurity Course. ITiCSE ‘22, July 2022
C. Koutcheme, S. Sarsa, A. Hellas, L. Haaranen, J. Leinonen: Methodological Considerations for Predicting At-risk Students. ACE ‘22, February 2022
Workshop Publications
C. Koutcheme, N. Dainese, A. Hellas: Direct Repair Optimization: Training Small Language Models for Educational Program Repair Improves Feedback. BEA 2025, July 2025
C. Koutcheme, N. Dainese, A. Hellas: Reinforcement Learning for Programming Feedback: Aligning Small Language Models Without Human Preferences. CSEDM 2025, July 2025
C. Koutcheme, N. Dainese, A. Hellas: Using Program Repair as a Proxy for Language Models’ Feedback Ability in Programming Education. BEA 2024, June 2024
C. Koutcheme, J. Leinonen, J. Sorva, A. Hellas: Analyzing Fine-Grained Material Usage Behavior. SPLICE Workshop at SIGCSE 2021, March 2021
Theses
C. Koutcheme: Towards Automated Programming Feedback with Open-Weight Language Models. Doctoral Thesis, Aalto University, March 2026
C. Koutcheme: Understanding Student Behaviours When Learning Online Materials Using Fine-Grained Browsing Data. Master’s Thesis, Aalto University, July 2021
Awards
- Best Computer Science Master’s Thesis, University of Liège, 2021
Talks
Invited Talk — UC Berkeley, ACE Lab (05.2025)
Towards High-Quality Programming Feedback Using Small Language Models
Seminar Talk — Stanford University (04.2025)
Towards High-Quality Programming Feedback Using Small Language Models
Invited Talk — North Carolina State University, AIAL (08.2023)
Advances in Programming Feedback Generation using Open Language Models
Academic Service
Reviewer: IJAIED · BEA · AIED · EDM
Languages
| Language | Level |
|---|---|
| French | Native (C2) |
| English | Excellent (C1) |
| Dutch | Moderate (B2) |