Meir Manny Lehman
Encyclopedia
Meir M. "Manny" Lehman, FREng (January 24, 1925 – December 29, 2010) was a professor
in the School of Computing Science at Middlesex University
. From 1972 to 2002 he was a Professor and Head of the Computing Department at Imperial College London
. His research contributions include the early realization of the software evolution
phenomenon and the eponymous Lehman's laws of software evolution
.
on January 24, 1925, and emigrated to England
in 1931. He studied mathematics
as an undergraduate at Imperial College London
where he was involved in the design of the Imperial College Computing Engine's Digital Computer Arithmetic Unit. He spent a year at Ferranti
in London before working at Israel's Ministry of Defense
from 1957 to 1964. From 1964 to 1972 he worked at IBM
's research division in Yorktown Heights, NY where he studied program evolution with Les Belady. The study of IBM's programming process gave the foundations for Lehman's laws of software evolution
. In 1972 he returned to Imperial College where he was Head of Section and later Head of Department (1979–1984). Lehman remained at Imperial for some thirty years until 2002 when he moved to the School of Computing Science at Middlesex University
.
After retiring from Middlesex he moved to Jerusalem, Israel, where he died on December 29, 2010.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in the School of Computing Science at Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
. From 1972 to 2002 he was a Professor and Head of the Computing Department at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
. His research contributions include the early realization of the software evolution
Software evolution
Software evolution is the term used in software engineering to refer to the process of developing software initially, then repeatedly updating it for various reasons.-General introduction:...
phenomenon and the eponymous Lehman's laws of software evolution
Lehman's laws of software evolution
In Software engineering, the Laws of Software Evolution refer to a series of laws that Lehman and Belady formulated starting in 1974 with respect to Software evolution....
.
Career
Lehman was born in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on January 24, 1925, and emigrated to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1931. He studied mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
as an undergraduate at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
where he was involved in the design of the Imperial College Computing Engine's Digital Computer Arithmetic Unit. He spent a year at Ferranti
Ferranti
Ferranti or Ferranti International plc was a UK electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1993. Known primarily for defence electronics, the Company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but ceased trading in 1993.The...
in London before working at Israel's Ministry of Defense
Ministry of Defense (Israel)
The Ministry of Defence of the government of Israel, is the governmental department responsible for defending the State of Israel from internal and external military threats...
from 1957 to 1964. From 1964 to 1972 he worked at IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
's research division in Yorktown Heights, NY where he studied program evolution with Les Belady. The study of IBM's programming process gave the foundations for Lehman's laws of software evolution
Lehman's laws of software evolution
In Software engineering, the Laws of Software Evolution refer to a series of laws that Lehman and Belady formulated starting in 1974 with respect to Software evolution....
. In 1972 he returned to Imperial College where he was Head of Section and later Head of Department (1979–1984). Lehman remained at Imperial for some thirty years until 2002 when he moved to the School of Computing Science at Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
.
After retiring from Middlesex he moved to Jerusalem, Israel, where he died on December 29, 2010.
Awards and honors
- Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (1989)
- Fellow of the ACM (1994)
- Harlan D. Mills Award (2001)
External links
- FEAST Publications
- IEEExplore
- A unified theory of software evolution, Salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, 2002.}} - Manny Lehman's Home Page
- Lehman's official academic archive