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Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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Industrial and Systems Engineering Research

Research Areas of Focus

The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering generates research in several areas with a focus on key areas of critical importance to national competitiveness and productivity including manufacturing, data science, energy systems, optimization and AI and robotics.

Our faculty members have achieved international recognition for their contributions to these areas. 

Optimization and Data Science

Optimization and data science are fundamental in our department in both research and teaching with many of our faculty engaged in some aspects of distributed and stochastic optimization, machine learning, statistical inference, predictive and prescriptive analytics, forecasting, planning and decision making. The faculty work on the development of scientific methodology and computational algorithms with a focus in the cross sections of operations research and data science. There are strong links between these and other research areas in the department and faculty are engaged with applications in manufacturing and supply chain, security, energy and transportation.

Faculty

David W. CoitElsayed Elsayed, Ahmed Aziz EzzatMelike Baykal-GürsoyWeihong GuoMyong K. JeongTuğrul ÖzelHoang PhamFarzad Yousefian

Computer line grid in blue with colorful data points charted.

Advanced Manufacturing and Production

The department has always been active in many aspects of manufacturing and production systems field. The current research focus is in: manufacturing processes, micro machining, sheet folding, 3D printing, semiconductor manufacturing supply chain, process monitoring and control, physics-based learning and prognostics and diagnostics. The department and the School of Engineering are homes to several advanced laboratories in manufacturing. 

The faculty are engaged in many interdisciplinary research projects, including: 

  • Advanced manufacturing 
  • Additive manufacturing 
  • Laser processing 
  • Physics-based process simulations
  • Physics-informed learning
  • Manufacturing data analytics
  • Process monitoring
  • Prognostics and diagnostics

Faculty

Melike Baykal-Gürsoy, Elsayed Elsayed, Weihong GuoMyong K. JeongTuğrul Özel

 

 

Automotive factory setting with orange robotic arms.

Quality and Reliability

The department is nationally and internationally known for its renowned faculty in the area of quality and reliability engineering. The research focuses on product and system reliability, resilience, accelerated life testing for infrastructure, medical and manufacturing applications. There is a strong cross link between these topics and data science. The department is home to an advanced laboratory in reliability engineering and accelerated life testing.

Faculty

David W. CoitElsayed Elsayed, Ahmed Aziz Ezzat, Hoang Pham

Female worker in factory checking water bottles.

Energy Systems

This is a relatively new research area for the department, and is unique to many peer departments across the country. The faculty research and project funding cover: 

  • Renewables and distributed energy resources and grid integration
  • Load and generation forecasting
  • Predictive analytics for maintenance of energy assets, energy markets, planning and operations
  • Offshore wind energy
  • Electrification of transportation

The department is home to the state of art laboratory in energy and the faculty are actively engaged in many interdisciplinary works across the university and worldwide.
 

Faculty

David W. Coit, Ahmed Aziz Ezzat, Mohsen Jafari, Robert Mieth, Zhimin Xi

Earth from space showing electrical grid and Earth's curvature.

Automation and AI

Automation sciences has always been a strong research area in the department for over several decades. The faculty research has focused on autonomous systems, control and AI, robotics, digital twins and simulation, system integration and informatics, intelligent transportation, smart cities and buildings and more. In overall the department has a long track record in funded projects and published works in this topic.

Faculty

Melike Baykal-Gürsoy, Weihong GuoMohsen A. JafariMyong K. JeongTuğrul ÖzelZhimin XiFarzad Yousefian

Blue-lit simulated city overlain with circuitry against a black background.

ISE Research News