Michael Ernst

Michael Ernst is a Professor at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington. His research focuses on improving software reliability, security, and developer productivity, with expertise in programming languages, formal methods, and program analysis.

• Academic Rank: Professor
• Email: mernst@cs.washington.edu
• Office Location: CSE 538

Ernst’s work intersects software engineering, programming languages, and security, combining theoretical rigor with practical experimentation. He actively recruits students interested in these areas at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

• Scientific Awards:
  • ACM Fellow (2014)
  • IEEE Fellow (2021)
  • CRA-E Undergraduate Mentoring Award (2018)
  • John Backus Award (2009)
  • NSF CAREER Award (2002)
  • ACM SIGSOFT Impact Paper Award (2013)
  • ISSTA Impact Awards (2018, 2019, 2024)
  • ICSE Most Influential Paper Award (2017)
  • 9 ACM Distinguished Paper Awards (2002–2018)
  • ECOOP 2011 Best Paper Award
  • Honorable mention, ACM doctoral dissertation competition (2000)

His research has been recognized by Microsoft Academic Search (#2 in software engineering, 2013) and AMiner (#3 among software engineering researchers, 2016). Ernst leads the Programming Languages & Software Engineering Group (PLSE), which aims to transform software development practices through innovative tools and methodologies.