Computer Science Department Alumni
Sebastian Elbaum
Associate Professor
Computer Science and Engineering
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE
Web site:
http://csce.unl.edu/~elbaum/
Professional Profile: Sebastian graduated from
the University of Idaho in 1997 with a MS degree in Computer Science and
again in 1999 receiving a PhD in Computer Science.
Sebastian was born in Cordoba, Argentina which is the second largest
city in Argentina. It is located in the center of the country, about half
way between the ocean and the Andes, at the west end of the Pampas. Sebastian
was introduced to computers at an early age. As he describes it, "When I
was about 10, an aunt bought me a “ZX-Spectrum” home computer. I couldn’t
do much with it because it didn't even have a hard drive, but it was enough
to get me started with basic programming and helped me discover my passion
for software development." Computers were not available in Argentina’s high
schools in the 1980’s, but Sebastian had a chance to take some extracurricular
classes on computer programming that further developed his interests. Then
as a senior he was able to spend part of the year at Whitefish Bay High
School in Milwaukee, WI where he took programming classes. As he describes
it "[they] were very exciting."
"The University of Idaho offered us plenty of
learning opportunities through classes and labs, lots of one-on-one
time with faculty members, and support to develop as graduate students."
After high school Sebastian attended Universidad Catolica de Cordoba
(UCC), studying Systems Engineering. "When my girlfriend (now my wife) and
I finished our undergraduate studies at UCC, we started to search for schools
abroad to get an international experience in our field. The University of
Idaho had an exchange program with UCC that facilitated the process. Our
intention was to come to the University of Idaho for 6 months, but the experience
was so positive that we returned for another 3 years to complete our graduate
studies. The University of Idaho offered us plenty of learning opportunities
through classes and labs, lots of one-on-one time with faculty members,
and support to develop as graduate students."
While at the University of Idaho Sebastian explored several Computer
Science areas ranging from parallel programming to software security, and
complemented his study plan with courses in business and statistics. But
the emphasis area of his graduate studies was software engineering, with
a focus on software measurement and reliability under the guidance of Dr.
John Munson. "One of the most exciting things about our projects was that
we were able to work closely with partners such as NASA and StorageTek which
let us appreciate the impact of the leading edge research we were conducting."
His interest in an academic career developed slowly. "At some point
during those projects I started to realize the potential of a career path
in academia. There was not a defining moment when I said 'this is what I
always wanted to do,' but rather an increasing sense through my PhD studies
that this was a career path with lots of intellectual freedom and constant
and tangible impact."
"One of the most exciting things about our
projects was that we were able to work closely with partners such as
NASA and StorageTek which let us appreciate the impact of the leading
edge research we were conducting."
After graduating from the University of Idaho Sebastian joined the Computer
Science and Engineering Department at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln
(UNL). He is an Associate Professor working in the areas of program testing
and analysis, designing techniques and implementing tools to make software
more dependable. He takes pride in being a member of one of the strongest
software engineering research groups in the US (http://esquared.unl.edu/). Sebastian's
noteworthy accomplishments at UNL have been many, including designation
as a J. D. Edwards Honors Program Professor (1999-2006), recipient of the
Harold and Esther Edgerton Research and Teaching Award for Junior Faculty
(2002), a National Science Foundation Career Award (2004), a founding member
of End Users Shaping Effective Software
(EUSES), serving as Program Chair of the International Symposium of
Software Testing and Analysis (ISSTA 2007), receiving distinguished paper
awards at the FSE 2006 and ICSE 2008 conferences, and he has mentored over
fifteen graduate students that are now leading quality assurance activities
in many top companies and labs. In the June 2007 issue of the Communications
of the ACM, Sebastian was recognized as one of the top 50 software engineering
scholars in the world.
The intellectual freedom that Sebastian found attractive about an academic
career also means that each day presents new challenges. Here's how he describes
a representative day. "It includes a good dosage of meeting and brainstorming
with students and peers working in joint research projects or classes, which
is what I enjoy the most. I also spend considerable time writing papers
to disseminate our work and to attract more funding to support new research
endeavors. And of course I teach at least one class a semester, usually
associated with software engineering."
"One of the neatest things about my profession
is the chance to meet very bright minds from all over the world, which
helps me keep a broader view of what is happening."
As Sebastian has discovered, there are some intangible benefits to the
academic career. "One of the neatest things about my profession is
the chance to meet very bright minds from all over the world, which helps
me keep a broader view of what is happening. Another immense source of satisfaction
is the chance to mentor people that have great potential to impact the world."
There are also some key strengths that have been significant in his success.
"At a technical level, knowing the software engineering fundamentals, the
capacity of abstraction, programming languages principles, and the ability
to perform various statistical analysis have been very important in my research
career. However, communication skills are also crucial in exchanging ideas
and knowledge with peers and students."
"Another immense source of satisfaction is the
chance to mentor people that have great potential to impact the world."
Although Sebastian has already accomplished a lot in his career and his
faculty position could demand every waking moment, he manages to keep everything
in perspective. "I have two lovely kids, and spending time with them
and my wife helps me strike a healthy balance in my life."
April 2008
The views expressed on this page are those of the individual being
profiled and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University
of Idaho or other institutions. References to specific organizations and
companies does not constitute endorsement of their products or services
by the University of Idaho.
Copyright © 2008 University of Idaho Board of Regents
