Dr. James Herbsleb

Biography

James Herbsleb is a Professor in the Software Societal Systems Department at Carnegie Mellon University and serves as the Director of the department. His research interests lie primarily at the intersection of software engineering, computer-supported cooperative work, and socio-technical systems, focusing on geographically distributed development teams and large-scale open source development. He holds a PhD in psychology and an MS in computer science. Over the years, his research has won several awards including the ACM Outstanding Research Award (2016) and the Alan Newell Award for Research Excellence (2014). His work explores complex dynamic relationships between human collaboration and software, examining how humans design software collaboratively. He investigates the architecture of socio-technical ecosystems, particularly platform-based ecosystems that facilitate innovation across various technology domains, including mobile devices and automotive systems. His research has emphasized the importance of complex socio-technical systems and their interrelated features, such as the integration of technical platforms and the governance of collaborative infrastructures. Additionally, he is funded for research supported by the NSF VOSS award, focusing on the practices of software development and co-creation in collaborative science.

Research Interests