Software Engineering Institute

November 5, 2018—Forrest Shull, associate director for empirical research at Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (SEI), was recently elected first vice president of the IEEE Computer Society. Shull will work directly with the IEEE Computer Society president and other leaders who manage the society's technical offerings, which include conferences, publications, technical communities, education, and standards. He will also provide advice and leadership at a strategic level.

"We look forward to working with Dr. Shull as he assumes this important Computer Society leadership role," said IEEE Computer Society President Hironori Kasahara. "As an officer and member of the Board of Governors, the First Vice President’s role is integral to setting the direction and determining the strategy for the Computer Society, and provides guidance at the policy level to all Society organizational entities."

"Throughout my time volunteering with the Computer Society, I’ve been able to see firsthand the many activities we support, literally around the world, that grow and support the technical community,” said Shull, who served the IEE Computer Society for several years in several different roles. “It is always energizing to me to meet our volunteers in so many different areas, and experience the results of the hard work and the innovation that they bring. It is an honor to be in a role to support these activities and contribute to such a dynamic, fast-moving field."

In his new role, Shull plans to continue to work on ways to improve the society’s connections to its members and adapt its offerings to meet the evolving expectations of the society’s membership. "My work here at the SEI helps keep me connected to customers and stakeholders who are working on innovative systems. They’re hungry for the practical knowledge that can help them get where they need to go, which is a good reminder of the overall mission of the society itself."

Shull presently serves as assistant director for Empirical Research at SEI, where he heads up work with U.S. government agencies, national labs, industry, and academic institutions to advance the use of empirically grounded information in software engineering and cybersecurity. He is currently providing technical leadership to the U.S. Department of Defense on multiple, congressionally mandated studies and pilot programs aimed at improving software acquisition in the department. Prior to the SEI, he was at the Fraunhofer Center for Experimental Software Engineering, where he founded and served as Director of the Measurement and Knowledge Management Division. Shull has been a lead researcher on projects for the Department of Defense, NASA's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Science Foundation, and commercial companies. Shull received his PhD in 1998 from the University of Maryland College Park. He is the author of 100 peer-reviewed publications and co-editor of a handbook on empirical software engineering.