Ian Sommerville (software engineer)

Ian Sommerville is a British software engineer and emeritus professor of software engineering at Lancaster University. He is best known for his textbook, Software Engineering, which is widely used in undergraduate and postgraduate software engineering courses internationally.

Sommerville's research interests span a broad range of software engineering topics, including requirements engineering, dependable systems, and socio-technical systems. He has contributed significantly to the understanding of how software systems interact with their human and organizational environments, emphasizing the importance of considering social and organizational factors in the software development process.

His work on requirements engineering focuses on techniques for eliciting, documenting, and validating software requirements, particularly in complex and changing environments. He has also made substantial contributions to the field of dependable systems, researching methods for developing software that is reliable, safe, and secure.

Beyond his academic work, Sommerville has also been involved in consulting and advising organizations on software engineering best practices. He continues to be an active voice in the software engineering community, advocating for a more holistic and human-centered approach to software development. His publications are influential and widely cited, contributing significantly to the evolution of software engineering as a discipline.