I am a Professor of Practice at George Mason University's Department of Computer Science, where my work sits at the intersection of rigorous software engineering and the realities of building systems that actually have to work. My goal is to help prepare the next generation of software engineers not just for their first job, but for the long arc of a career in the field.
My background is in real-time embedded software for mission-critical systems — 30+ years spent designing, analyzing, and verifying software where correctness is non-negotiable. I bring that perspective into the classroom not as a credential to wave around, but as a source of concrete problems, honest trade-offs, and hard-won lessons that textbooks tend to smooth over.
Beyond teaching, I maintain an active consulting practice through Rob Pettit Consulting, which keeps me current with the field and connected to the kinds of challenges my students will eventually face. I also serve as Steering Committee Co-Chair for IEEE's International Symposium on Real-Time Computing (ISORC) and as an editor for the International Journal of Software and Systems Modeling (SoSyM)
I founded and lead GMU's Computer Science study abroad programs — the first faculty-led CS study abroad programs within the university and among a small handful of such programs nationally. One takes students to Vienna every other summer for software engineering coursework in one of Europe's great cities; the other traces the origins of computing through the lives of Turing, Babbage, and Lovelace in the UK each January.
Outside of work, I love traveling — particularly to Europe, India, and anywhere with mountains — and I am actively learning DSLR photography. I am a USA Track & Field Level 2 certified throwing coach; I had the privilege of coaching three All American throwers in shot put and discus, including the current Virginia boys' record holder in the shot put.