UCI Hires Expert on Computer Software

UC Irvine announced Monday that it has hired a nationally prominent computer software specialist, Leon J. Osterweil, effective Friday.

“I feel the appointment of Dr. Osterweil places UCI at the forefront of research and development in large-scale computer software,” said John King, chair of information and computer science at UCI.

Osterweil is nationally known for his research and inventions in the computer software field. He invented “process programming,” a software development technique, and also has specialized in static analysis, software environments and software tools, according to a UCI spokeswoman Cynthia Morris.

He said he looks forward to moving to UCI because of the campus’s close work with industry.

“I think UCI, which already has one of the best software engineering programs anywhere, is in a unique position to lead the world in software development,” Osterweil said. “There’s a lot of interaction between the industrial and academic communities in Orange County, and I’d like to help foster even more joint ventures between our software engineers and those in local industry.”

Osterweil has been a faculty member in the department of computer science at the University of Colorado since 1971. He served as chair of the department from 1981 to 1986. He has also served as consultant to several high-tech firms, including TRW in Redondo Beach.

Osterweil has been affiliated with researchers at UCI since 1984 through a four-university research consortium named Arcadia. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Princeton University and his master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics from the University of Maryland.