Peter Feiler, best known as the technical lead and author of the SAE AS-2C Architecture Analysis & Design Language (AADL) standard, retired from an esteemed 31-year career at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) in April 2020. Throughout his time at SEI, Feiler made significant contributions to fields such as architecture engineering and the assurance of safety-critical embedded software systems.

Reflecting on his career, Feiler expressed gratitude for the recognition of his contributions, particularly in his 16-year role as technical lead for the SAE AADL standard. “I am excited about the impact virtual system integration technology based on AADL has had on the practitioner community,” Feiler noted, “and I’m pleased to see researchers leveraging AADL in their work. This would not have been possible without contributions by the SAE AADL committee members and by the SEI team working with me.”

SEI Director and CEO Paul Nielsen praised Feiler's extensive contributions, remarking, “Peter joins a select group of SEI legends who have contributed so much, not only to SEI, but to the nation and the global software engineering community.”

Feiler’s expertise extends to the development and application of model-based architecture technology, in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University and other research institutions. His work has focused on advancing the practical application of these technologies within commercial industry settings. Feiler’s influence extends to major Department of Defense projects such as the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator, Future Vertical Lift, and the DARPA High-Assurance Cyber Military Systems program.

Before his employment at SEI, Feiler conducted pioneering research and led software technology initiatives at the Siemens Corporate Research and Technology Lab in Princeton, New Jersey. During this time, he played a crucial role as the system architect for the software development environment in large-scale product development.

Feiler is a senior member of ACM, IEEE, and SAE International; holds a PhD in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University; and was honored as an SEI Fellow in August 2016 for his outstanding contributions to the field.

Recent and significant publications include the following:

• Boydston, A.; Feiler, P.; Vestal, S.; et al. Architecture Centric Virtual Integration Process (ACVIP): A Key Component of the DoD Digital Engineering Strategy. Software Engineering Institute. September 2019.
• Delange, J.; Feiler, P.; Nord, R.; et al. Missed Architectural Dependencies: The Elephant in the Room. Pages 1-10. Proceedings of the 13th Working IEEE/IFIP Conference on Software Architecture (WICSA 2016). April 2016.
• Hansson, Jörgen; Helton, Steve; & Feiler, Peter. ROI Analysis of the System Architecture Virtual Integration Initiative. CMU/SEI-2018-TR-002. Software Engineering Institute. 2018.
• Feiler, P.; Goodenough, J.; Gurfinkel, A.; Weinstock, C.; & Wrage, L. Four Pillars for Improving the Quality of Safety-Critical Software-Reliant Systems. Software Engineering Institute. 2013.
• Feiler, P. & Gluch, D. Model-Based Engineering with AADL: An Introduction to the SAE Architecture Analysis & Design Language. SEI Series. Addison Wesley. 2012.
• Feiler, P. Architecture Analysis & Design Language (AADL). SAE Document AS5506A. SAE International. 2012.