Anthony J H Simons

Dr Anthony J H Simons is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield, where he serves as Deputy Director of UG Admissions. He is a member of the Testing research group and has been affiliated with the university since completing his PhD there. His academic journey spans several decades, moving from speech recognition systems to object-oriented programming languages and currently focusing on model-based testing and cloud computing applications.

Dr Simons holds an MA in Modern Languages from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Sheffield. His educational background in both humanities and technical fields has informed his interdisciplinary approach to software engineering research.

His primary research interests center around turning formal verification results into practical software engineering benefits. Currently, he investigates Model-Based Testing and Model-Driven Engineering with applications to Cloud Computing. Earlier in his career, he made significant contributions to object-oriented software engineering, including type theory and software development methods. He is the inventor of the JWalk automatic software testing tool for Java and the JAST library for processing XML in Java, and co-author of the OPEN Toolbox of Techniques. His work bridges theoretical computer science with practical software development needs.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a clear trajectory from foundational work in object-oriented type theory to applied research in cloud computing and model-based testing. His scholarship demonstrates consistent focus on formal methods applied to practical software engineering challenges, with increasing emphasis on cloud infrastructure testing and verification in recent years.

Dr Simons has secured significant research funding as Principal Investigator, including the Broker@Cloud project (EC-FP7, £323,688, 2012-2015), Future Engineering System (InnovateUK, £199,874, 2016-2019), and Ferromone Trails Concept (Department for Transport, £24,635, 2017). He has supervised numerous undergraduate and masters' projects throughout his career and continues to mentor students despite being semi-retired.

He leads the Testing research group at Sheffield and has developed several research projects including CatWalk (a software testing tool for Java), ReMoDeL (a conceptual modeling language), and tools for verifying specifications and generating tests for software services in the cloud. His research has practical applications in cloud service brokerage and quality assurance.