After seeing some posts here on HN on the more scientific side of Software Engineering (e.g. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26630385) I wanted to learn a bit more about this side of it.
In summary, not qualitative "process" studies (e.g. anedoctal evidence on why Agile is good) or theoretical Computer Science, but more quantitative analysis and formally proven processes, if that makes sense.
The author makes the argument for empirical research on software engineering just as you're describing, and references relevant studies.
Two names of prominent people who did / do such work as you ask about, that I know of from earlier work in bigcos where it was used a lot (so I was trained on it, practiced it as a project manager and also personally read up on it a good amount), are Watts Humphrey and Capers Jones.