Software as Ecosystems

Software is no longer built in isolation; we rely on many third-party library dependencies and frameworks to provide functionality. Problems arise when developers struggle to manage these dependencies.
My research interests span the holistic concept that these dependencies form ecosystems that evolve and intertwine over time. With the rise of library package ecosystems, I conduct empirical analysis of software ecosystems such as Maven for Java, NPM for JavaScript, and PyPI for Python.

Developer Proficiency as Code

We draw from linguistic frameworks, such as the Japanese Language Proficiency Tests, used to assess an individual's natural language skills, and apply this concept to how developers write code. Defined as code proficiency, I am particularly interested in understanding how developers code. We aim to measure developers' skills based on their code, and how the code itself can serve as a signaling device for collaborators. We investigate how educators teach programming languages and how developers progress from basic coding concepts to more complex structures. Currently, we focus on the Python programming language and Pythonic code.

Bridging Developers Across Societies through collaborations

Software development is now a global endeavor. This research field seeks to understand how developers from emerging nations, like Papua New Guinea, integrate software engineering into their societies. I host international collaborators, workshops, and internships with a global perspective.



As an empirical scientist, my team investigates hypotheses related to human and societal aspects, evolution, security, and AI-assisted techniques, asking research questions like the following:

- How can code proficiency be utilized to assess developer skills?
- How can a software ecosystem sustain itself?
- How does a software ecosystem maintain itself?
- Does proficient code signal maintainable software?
- How can we make ecosystems more secure?
- How safe is proficient code?
- What is the role of AI technologies in ecosystems?
- How does AI technologies assist with code proficiency?