Dr. Michael Hilton

Associate Teaching Professor

Bio

I am an Assistant Teaching Professor of Computer Science, in the Software and Societal Systems Department of the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.  My main passion is to improve the lives of developers. I do this by teaching students Software Engineering, as well as research on developers and development practices.

Teaching

My goal is to give students the principles that will help them be successful throughout their entire career, as well as give them the tools they will need to be successful on day one.

I am especially interested in software engineering at startups, and what implications are there for the practice of software engineering when working at a startup.

Research

My research focuses on understanding developers and development processes.  Much of my research focuses on Continuous Integration, understanding its use, and seeking ways to find improvements for developers.

Education

2017, Ph.D. in Computer Science Oregon State University

2013, M.S. in Computer Science Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

2002, B.S. in Computer Science San Diego State University

Work History

I worked for SPAWAR Pacific for 9 years, working on a variety of projects for such a wide range of sponsors as the US Navy, Coast Guard and the White House.  This time helped me appreciate the challenges developers are facing, and to see how many developers are not prepared to face the challenges they will experience after they graduate. I have also worked for a company developing software to service loans, and a startup developing a mobile note-taking application.