PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

David Lo

David Lo connects AI and software engineering through software analytics and human-in-the-loop automation. He earned a computer engineering degree at Nanyang Technological University in 2004 and a computer science PhD at the National University of Singapore in 2008, then joined Singapore Management University as a lecturer in May 2008. IEEE named him a Fellow in 2022, and ACM named him a Fellow in 2023. In September 2026, his EarlyEval method cut up to 44% of tokens when evaluating AI coding agents; as of October 2026, he is SMU's Vice Provost (Research), OUB Chair Professor of Computer Science, and Co-Director of the Centre for Research for Intelligent Software Engineering.

Now at
Singapore Management University
Works
966
Citations
33,599
h-index
94
Rankings
#87 by cited papers
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 2004–2008

    A computer engineering degree

    He earns a computer engineering degree from Nanyang Technological University in 2004 and a computer science PhD from the National University of Singapore in 2008.

  2. May 2008

    Joining SMU's faculty

    He joins SMU's School of Information Systems as a lecturer in May 2008.

  3. By 2015

    Software analytics research

    By 2015, his research includes papers on software analytics, which examines data produced during the software lifecycle.

  4. 2021

    Professor at SMU

    In January 2021, he becomes Professor of Information Systems and Director of SMU's Research Lab for Intelligent Software Engineering.

  5. 2022

    An IEEE Fellowship

    In 2022, IEEE names him a Fellow for contributions to software engineering and data mining.

  6. 2023

    An ACM Fellowship

    ACM names him a Fellow in 2023 for contributions to AI and software engineering for human-in-the-loop automation and software analytics. At ISEC 2023, he describes how AI methods can turn software repositories into automation and insights.

  7. September 2026

    EarlyEval for coding agents

    In September 2026, his EarlyEval method cuts 13% to 26% of AI agent evaluation steps and up to 44% of tokens across three benchmarks.

  8. As of October 2026

    Vice Provost for Research

    As of October 2026, he is SMU's Vice Provost (Research), OUB Chair Professor of Computer Science, and Co-Director of the Centre for Research for Intelligent Software Engineering.

Career

  1. Since 2008Singapore Management UniversityLecturer, Professor of Information Systems

Education

  1. 2008National University of SingaporePhD
  2. 2004Nanyang Technological UniversityComputer Engineering degree

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. Large Language Models for Software Engineering: A Systematic Literature Review2024 · ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology · 1,008 citations
  2. Smart Contract Development: Challenges and Opportunities2019 · IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering · 727 citations
  3. Deep code comment generation2018 · 706 citations
  4. Where should the bugs be fixed? More accurate information retrieval-based bug localization based on bug reports2012 · International Conference on Software Engineering · 506 citations
  5. Deep Learning for Just-in-Time Defect Prediction2015 · IEEE International Conference on Software Quality, Reliability and Security (QRS) · 366 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

  1. Stanford University trained or employed 20 of the 89 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes National University of Singapore. Stanford University trained or employed 20 of the 89 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and employment links for major-prize and best-paper winners.
  2. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes National University of Singapore. Our estimates of where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led, from education records in cited biographies.
  3. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers rose from 2% to 32%Includes National University of Singapore. We estimate where leading AI researchers worked when their most-cited papers appeared. The company share rose from 2% in 1975–1979 to 32% in 2020–2024.
  4. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes National University of Singapore. Our estimates of combined and median h-index at AI organizations, using current affiliations and OpenAlex records.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of David Lo yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Computing don David Lo receives double recognition for his contributions to software engineering and data science | SMU Engage engage.smu.edu.sg. Checked 19 October 2026.
  2. Pushing Boundaries in Software Analytics | SMU Newsroom news.smu.edu.sg. Checked 19 October 2026.
  3. Faculty Announcement | January 2021 | School of Computing and Information Systems computing.smu.edu.sg. Checked 19 October 2026.
  4. IEEE Computer Society Announces 2022 Fellows computer.org. Checked 19 October 2026.
  5. Keynote Speakers isoft.acm.org. Checked 19 October 2026.
  6. SMU faculty member David Lo is the fourth academic in Singapore and the first from the University to achieve prestigious ACM Fellow recognition in 2023 | SMU Newsroom news.smu.edu.sg. Checked 19 October 2026.
  7. SJTU's EarlyEval halts agent runs early to cut eval costs | School of Computing and Information Systems computing.smu.edu.sg. Checked 19 October 2026.
  8. David LO | SMU Faculty Directory faculty.smu.edu.sg. Checked 19 October 2026.