CMU cuts 75 employees in its Software Engineering Institute

Carnegie Mellon University on Wednesday cut 75 staff positions at its Software Engineering Institute.

The cut represents 10% of the institute’s overall workforce, according to Cassia Crogan, CMU spokeswoman.

Crogan told TribLive the cuts were a “variety of roles and titles across the institute.” She didn’t say how it would impact the institute’s operations.

Crogan said the decision was a last resort, and is the reality of “significant shifts in funding structures that are affecting how federally funded research and development centers nationwide operate.”

A letter from Theresa Mayer, CMU’s vice president for research, said the institute’s leadership took steps to avoid job cuts, including implementing cost-saving measures, but were unable to reallocate or absorb costs.

“We are deeply grateful to all SEI colleagues for their dedication to advancing national security, software innovation and technological leadership on behalf of the university and the nation,” Mayer wrote. “We recognize the magnitude of these actions and its impact on the individuals, families and teams affected.”

The cuts are not related to the current federal government shutdown, Crogan said.

In August, 18 employees were laid off from CMU’s school of computer science. At the time, officials said those cuts “reflect the routine and localized process of evaluating budgets and personnel needs within individual schools and colleges.”

There are no plans for universitywide workforce reductions at this time, Crogan said.

“SEI will continue to build on more than four decades of critical collaboration with the federal government to grow its impact as a trusted and vital national resource at the forefront of software, cybersecurity and AI engineering,” Crogan said.