Dr. Forrest Shull is the Principal Director for Advanced Computing and Software at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)). With a strong background in software engineering and research, Dr. Shull leads the strategic direction for implementing advanced computing and software solutions across the Department of Defense (DoD), while coordinating scientific and technical development activities.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Shull served as the Lead for Defense Software Acquisition Policy Research at the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (SEI). There, he led the SEI's technical response to the DoD, supporting critical initiatives and improving acquisition processes through the incorporation of modern software development practices. An important outcome was the development of the Department's first software-specific acquisition policy in 2020, which facilitated the rapid and iterative delivery of software capabilities to meet urgent user needs.

Before joining SEI, Dr. Shull spent 15 years at Fraunhofer USA, where he established and served as the Director of the Measurement and Knowledge Management Division. His extensive research work included collaborations with organizations such as the DoD, NASA, DARPA, the National Science Foundation, and commercial companies. Notably, his contributions to NASA software products earned him a Group Achievement Award for advancing the state-of-the-art in the software industry.

As a distinguished author, Dr. Shull has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications with more than 11,000 citations according to Google Scholar. He has been actively involved in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society, serving as its President in 2021. During his tenure, he spearheaded the development of a competitive funding process for pilot activities in emerging technologies and initiated collaborations between academia, government, and industry to address crucial technical topics. Prior to his presidency, Dr. Shull served on the Society's Board of Governors and Executive Committee since 2015, leading data-driven decision-making initiatives and transforming the Society to better serve its members' needs. From 2011 to 2014, he also served as the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Software, where he oversaw the launch of a new digital edition and expanded the magazine's multimedia reach.

With his expertise and accomplishments in the field of software engineering, Dr. Shull is instrumental in driving the advancement and integration of cutting-edge computing and software solutions to enhance the capabilities of the DoD.