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Thomas Bock

Postdoctoral Researcher, Software and Societal Systems Department, School of Computer Science

Hometown: Straubing, Bavaria, Germany

1. Briefly describe the work you're doing as a postdoc at Â鶹´å. I investigate how software is created and how the people who build it work together. My research focuses on understanding the teamwork and collaboration that are part of software development, particularly in open-source software projects (where the source code is publicly available and everyone can contribute to it) as well as in scientific software projects (which support research across various disciplines). Specifically, I examine how teams of software developers organize themselves and what roles different developers play as projects grow and evolve over time. I am interested in discovering which patterns of collaboration lead to successful and long-lasting software projects, and how we can use these insights to improve software-development practices. This research is especially important now as generative AI tools are changing software development. Understanding the human component and the interplay between social and technical factors in software development is crucial to prepare for the new challenges and opportunities that AI brings to software creation and maintenance.
2. How did you develop an interest in this area? The creation of software already fascinated me during high school, where I got my first experiences with programming. Understanding the phenomenon of how software is developed in large-scale open-source projects sparked my interest during my Bachelor's and Master's studies in Computer Science at the University of Passau, Germany. Multiple people contributing to the same codebase and coordinating their work is challenging yet fascinating. This is especially true in large open-source software projects such as the Linux kernel, where creating and maintaining the software is a collaborative effort of many developers across the globe. This goes well beyond programming tasks and also includes organizational and communicative responsibilities. We all rely on software in our daily lives in various situations–from smartphone apps we regularly use to critical systems that keep our digital infrastructure running. This is why it is essential to ensure high quality and sustainability of software projects. 
3. What are your academic and/or professional goals? During my Ph.D. at Saarland University, Germany, I had the opportunity to dive deeper into empirical software engineering research and analyze emerging organizational patterns in evolving open-source software projects. Here at Â鶹´å, I am continuing this line of research and expanding my knowledge on scientific software, as software also plays an important role in today's research endeavors of almost all scientific disciplines. Many scientific discoveries and advancements are driven by software tools and simulations, making it crucial to understand how research software is developed and maintained. Understanding how software-engineering principles are applied to software development in other research domains is essential to ensure the reliability and reproducibility of scientific results that will shape the future of life, science, and technology. This research experience has reinforced my passion for both research and education. My academic goal is to contribute to the body of knowledge in software-engineering research, providing insights and practical implications for improving software-development practices. To this end, I aim to become a faculty member at a university on my home continent, Europe, to continue my research, broaden my academic and practical impact, and educate the next generation of software developers and researchers.
4. Tell us about a significant moment in your journey at Â鶹´å so far. Recently, I attended a workshop at Â鶹´å where I had the opportunity to get in touch with excellent international researchers and practitioners in the field of open-source software development. This event allowed me to exchange ideas and discuss my research with experts from around the world in an appreciative and collaborative atmosphere, which was both inspiring and motivating. Identifying the needs and challenges of practitioners in the field of open-source software development helped me to better understand the practical relevance of my research and opened my eyes to new perspectives on how research can contribute to solving real-world problems.
5. How do you spend your time beyond academic work? Beyond academic work, I enjoy exploring the country by hiking, cycling, and traveling to different places. Being active outdoors and admiring nature and breathtaking landscapes is a great way for me to unwind and find inspiration.