PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

David Garlan

David Garlan is a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, and his recent research applies self-adaptation to machine-learning-enabled systems. With Mary Shaw he published a 1996 textbook on software architecture. He earned a B.A. from Amherst College in 1971 and completed a Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon in 1987. He received the ACM SIGSOFT Outstanding Research Award in 2011 and the Allen Newell Award for Research Excellence in 2016. As of October 2026, he is associate dean for master's programs at Carnegie Mellon.

Works
474
Citations
26,904
h-index
66

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1971–1990

    Degrees and early industry work

    He earns a B.A. from Amherst College in 1971 and a B.A./M.A. in mathematics from Oxford. He completes a Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon in 1987 and works as a software architect in industry until 1990.

  2. 1990–1996

    A textbook with Mary Shaw

    He joins the Carnegie Mellon faculty in 1990. In 1996 he and Mary Shaw publish a textbook on software architecture.

  3. 2002

    Directing software engineering programs

    In 2002 he becomes director of Software Engineering Professional Programs, where he leads the evolution of the original Master of Software Engineering into a suite of professional programs with specific themes.

  4. 2005–2011

    Stevens and SIGSOFT awards

    In 2005 he receives the Stevens Award Citation for fundamental contributions to software architecture as a discipline. In 2011 he receives the ACM SIGSOFT Outstanding Research Award.

  5. 2016–2017

    Newell and Mead awards

    In 2016 he receives the Allen Newell Award for Research Excellence. In 2017 he receives the Nancy Mead Award for Excellence in Software Engineering Education.

  6. 2019

    Machine learning meets planning

    He contributes to Machine Learning Meets Quantitative Planning: Enabling Self-Adaptation in Autonomous Robots, a paper in the SEAMS 2019 track.

  7. 2024–2026

    Humanizing architecture and Ripple

    In 2024 he gives a keynote suggesting that people belong in the architectural design of AI-driven systems. In 2026 he contributes to Ripple, a self-adaptation approach for retraining machine-learning-enabled systems.

  8. As of October 2026

    Associate dean and professor

    He is associate dean for master's programs and a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University.

Sources and credits

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  1. David Garlan - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. David Garlan cs.cmu.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. Garlan Named Associate Dean for Master's Programs | Carnegie Mellon University Computer Science Department csd.cmu.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. David Garlan | Science of Security Virtual Organization sos-vo.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. David Garlan conf.researchr.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  6. Garlan Delivers ‘Humanizing Software Architecture’ Keynote at AMEE - Software and Societal Systems Department - School of Computer Science - Carnegie Mellon University s3d.cmu.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  7. David Garlan - College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University engineering.cmu.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.