Neil Ernst

Neil Ernst is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Victoria and Director of the Matrix Institute for Applied Data Science. His research focuses on software architecture, requirements engineering, technical debt management, and the integration of AI into software development practices. He previously worked at the Software Engineering Institute (CMU) and holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Toronto.

Education:

• PhD in Computer Science, University of Toronto, 2011
• M.Sc. in Computer Science, University of Victoria, 2004
• Bachelor’s degree with research in Geography and GIS, University of Victoria

Research Interests: Software engineering methodologies, empirical studies, technical debt, AI-driven development, and interdisciplinary applications of computing sciences. His work emphasizes human-centered approaches to software architecture and the ethical implications of AI in development practices.

Professional Roles:

• Senior Associate Editor, Journal of Systems and Software
• Associate Editor, Journal of Empirical Software Engineering
• Advisor for International Conferences (e.g., ICSE, RE, XP)

Current Projects: Technical debt in scientific software, climate informatics, and the societal impacts of AI in software engineering. He advocates for open science and registered reports to improve research rigor.

Labs & Teams: Leads the Matrix Institute for Applied Data Science, focusing on transdisciplinary data science applications.