David Socha, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
A fellow Husky, Dr. Socha received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Washington. He also received his B.S. in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin and M.S. in Computer Science from the UW.
He has worked in a variety of software organizations as a programmer, architect, manager, teacher, ScrumMaster, product designer, change agent, and agile coach. His interests have consistently been on how to effectively design software and human systems, with the focus on the human and social aspects of software development.
“I am a pragmatist. A collaborator. An optimist. I look for simple solutions that address underlying design forces.”
Research
My primary research is about better understanding how software developers collaborate on their actual work in their actual place of work ("in the wild"). To do this, my team uses interaction analysis to analyze videos of software developers collaborating in the wild. For more information, see my website.
My secondary research is on software design, and using techniques such as human centered design to gain insights about human computer interactions with software systems.
Education
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
- Ph.D. Computer Science & Engineering
- M.S. Computer Science
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI