Research Profile

Bolstered by a revamping of its undergraduate and graduate curricula in the mid-1960s to include a deep offering of courses in operations research, statistics, numerical methods, and computing, the department changed its name to Industrial and Systems Engineering and launched its Ph.D. program in 1967.  Just over 20 years later, that program boasts a steady state size of over 50 students, with 11 graduating in 2008.

As with its origins, the research strengths of the department lie in operations research, its applications and implementation, with a strong emphasis in optimization, algorithmic development and data analysis.  Applications can be found in a variety of areas, including the optimization of transportation, logistics, manufacturing, military, healthcare, biological, biomedical, financial, energy, telecommunications and infrastructure systems.

Much of the applied work is centered around the four centers and labs housed in the department.  The Center for Applied Optimization, directed by Panos Pardalos, works on a wide variety of problems using various optimization and data mining techniques.  The SCaLE (Supply Chain and Logistics Engineering) Center and RMFE (Risk Management and Financial Engineering) Lab are much more focused in their application areas.  Ravi Ahuja and Joe Geunes direct SCaLE while Stan Uryasev directs the RMFE.  The Industrial Assessment Center, directed by Diane Schaub, helps companies deal with problems of energy management.

Funding comes from a variety of sources, including federal sources such as the National Science Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Department of Defense (Defense Threat Reduction Agency), National Institute of Health, Veterans Administration Hospital, Department of Transportation, and the Department of Energy.  State funding sources include the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Department of Health.

In 2008, the department spent $3.2 million on research, with nearly $1.5 million from federal sources and $570,000 from state sources.  The funding totaled from over 60 grants and contracts.

The graduate program was ranked 14th among all institutions in the Industrial/Manufacturing category by U.S. News and World Report in the 2009-2010 ranking.  The ranking was 10th among public institutions.  The latest ranking represented the fourth year in a row in the top 15 and 14th in a row in the top 20 programs in the nation. 

Acclaimed Faculty

Research is conducted by faculty with students and other personnel, including research engineers and scientists, and postdoctoral and visiting scholars.  The strength of the ISE research program is a testament to the strength of its faculty.

An indication of the strength of the faculty is through peer recognition.  Here are just a few of the distinctions bestowed upon our faculty:

Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS) Fellow
    ·  Ravi Ahuja
    ·  Donald Hearn (Emeritus)
    ·  Panos Pardalos
    ·  R. Tyrrell Rockafellar (Research Professor)

Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) Fellow
    ·  Barney Capehart (Emeritus)
    ·  Richard Leavenworth (Emeritus)

Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow
    ·  Barney Capehart (Emeritus)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow
    ·  Barney Capehart (Emeritus)
    ·  Panos Pardalos

While a Society Fellow is a distinction earned from years of service, many research agencies (NSF, DOD, ARO, ONR, and DTRA) offer Young Investigator or Early CAREER awards.  The following faculty have earned these distinctions:
    ·  Vladimir Boginski (DTRA)
    ·  Yongpei Guan (NSF)
    ·  Joseph Hartman (NSF)
    ·  Jean-Philippe Richard (NSF)
    ·  J. Cole Smith (ONR)

Additionally, faculty have won highly acclaimed prizes such as the Baker Award (Francis), Grant Award (Hartman), Koopman Prize (Ahuja), Lanchester Prize (Ahuja), Pierskella Award (Ahua, Pardalos), Pritsker Award (Smith), Wagner Prize (Ahuja), and the Wellington Award (Leavenworth).