Leonardo da Silva Sousa

Leonardo da Silva Sousa is a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University’s Silicon Valley campus, where he teaches in the Master of Science in Software Engineering program. He has a broad academic background and has been designing software systems since his undergraduate studies. He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Federal University of Mato Grosso, his master’s degree from the Federal University of Goiás, and his doctorate from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, where he also completed postdoctoral research. A research exchange at the University of Southern California deepened his knowledge of software architecture.

This background shapes Sousa’s interest in engineering software solutions to recurring problems. His courses engage students in designing, building, and improving real-world systems, including AI-enabled applications. His teaching spans data science for software engineering, software refactoring, software design and architecture, distributed systems, and database systems, with an emphasis on project-based and active learning.

Sousa’s research interests include experimental software engineering, machine learning and optimization, software testing, and maintenance. At CMU, his projects include HandyTalk, which explores machine learning for sign language recognition; TicketNoobie, which supports research and teaching in software refactoring and architectural evolution; and CapybaraDB, an educational database management system. He also investigates distributed systems and the impact of generative artificial intelligence on software engineering education.

Sousa co-founded TMind AI, where he brings software engineering and artificial intelligence into collaboration with social work professionals to develop AI-enabled tools for education and professional practice.

Outside of teaching and research, Sousa enjoys playing video games, practicing boxing and Muay Thai, and working out.