Dr. William Scherlis

Biography

William L. Scherlis is a professor in the Software Societal Systems Department at Carnegie Mellon University and a special advisor at the Software Engineering Institute, a Department of Defense federally funded research and development center. From September 2019 to 2022, he served as the director of DARPA’s Information Innovation Office (I2O), leading the development of programs in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and secure software among other areas. In September 2022, he became a special assistant to the DARPA Director. Over his career, Scherlis has held various positions including program manager in the federal Senior Executive Service at DARPA, where he initiated significant programs in software technology and computer security. He has made notable contributions to high-performance computing communications and the development of security organizations worldwide. Scherlis is also a co-founder of Panopto, a CMU spin-off, and has advised numerous technology firms and startups. He completed his undergraduate studies in applied mathematics at Harvard, was a John Knox Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, and earned his doctorate in computer science from Stanford University. His research interests focus on software assurance, cybersecurity, safe concurrency, and software analysis. He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE and has been recognized as a Lifetime National Associate by the National Academy of Sciences.

Research Interests