Meet the women challenging systems in engineering

Eileen Van Aken, professor and department head

• Ph.D., industrial and systems engineering, Virginia Tech
• M.S., industrial and systems engineering, Virginia Tech
• B.S., industrial engineering and operations research, Virginia Tech

What is your favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering?

I absolutely love that we get to integrate so many important aspects of a work system - not only technology/equipment, materials, information, and processes - but also the people who work in the system.  This was the first thing that appealed to me when I was choosing my major as an undergraduate student. I also really enjoy that we focus on improving things - systems, processes, tools, etc. Improvement is just in our DNA as industrial engineers.

What about your research or body of work excites you?

In the research projects I've done over the years, I am always inspired by the chance to help managers and leaders in organizations improve decisions and results.  It is very gratifying to see the impact, pretty quickly, of the applied research my students and I have done over the years to help many organizations solve a problem and/or improve business results. 

What is the best advice you've ever received? 

One of the best pieces of advice I've gotten from a mentor of mine is to make bold decisions to do impactful things in your career and to not be afraid of new opportunities or adventures.  I channel this advice whenever a new opportunity presents itself — maybe exciting, maybe a bit scary — and focus on the end result that could be achieved.

What words of wisdom do you have for young women and girls hoping to enter the STEM field? 

I would say to persevere. Sometimes obstacles come up that don't have anything to do with the technical aspects of engineering. This is when it's most important to persevere and lean on your network, mentors, and support system.

Xi Chen, associate professor

• Ph.D., industrial engineering and management sciences, Northwestern University
• M.S., industrial engineering and systems engineering, North Carolina State University
• B.S., automation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology

What is your favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering?

One of the most fascinating aspects of industrial and systems engineering is its multifaceted and interdisciplinary nature. It blends engineering principles with management, economics, and social sciences to optimize complex systems. Operations research [OR] stands out in industrial and systems engineering due to its focus on mathematical modeling and optimization techniques to improve decision-making and system performance. OR provides a systematic and quantitative approach to problem-solving, which complements the broader, more interdisciplinary nature of industrial and systems engineering.

What about your research or body of work excites you?

Research in stochastic modeling and simulation analysis methodology excites me due to its versatility, complexity, and practicality. First, the methods in the field are incredibly versatile and can be applied to a wide range of problems across various disciplines, including physics, engineering, finance, and biology. This versatility opens up numerous possibilities for innovative research and applications. Second, the methods in the field often involve complex mathematical, statistical, and computational techniques, making them intellectually stimulating to work with. Developing and implementing these methods requires creativity, constant self-learning, and problem-solving skills, which I find particularly challenging and rewarding. Lastly, the field has the potential to revolutionize how we approach complex problems by providing probabilistic solutions that can account for uncertainty and variability. This aspect makes the methods particularly valuable in decision-making and risk analysis, where understanding and managing uncertainty are crucial. 

What is the best advice you've ever received? 

Be where you are, not where you think you should be.

What words of wisdom do you have for young women and girls hoping to enter the STEM field? 

Stay resilient and embrace changes and challenges.

Deborah Dickerson, associate professor

• Ph.D., industrial and systems engineering, Virginia Tech
• M.S., industrial and systems engineering, Virginia Tech
• M.S., ecology, North Carolina State University
• B.S., biology, Virginia Tech

What is your favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering?

My favorite thing is the wonderful students.

What about your research or body of work excites you?

I hope to make a positive impact through my work in product and system safety.

What is the best advice you've ever received? 

You can always change course and do something new in life. 

What words of wisdom do you have for young women and girls hoping to enter the STEM field? 

I'm so glad you are considering entering a STEM field. It is fun and challenging and you will make a great contribution.

Kimberly Ellis, associate professor

• Ph.D., industrial and systems engineering, Georgia Tech
• M.S., industrial engineering, University of Tennessee
• B.S., industrial engineering, University of Tennessee

What is your favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering?

I love that ISE's gain knowledge on how to analyze, design, operate, and improve systems. This valuable knowledge can be applied across a wide variety of systems, such as manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare systems, among others.

What about your research or body of work excites you?

I am still motivated by solving complex problems that arise in a wide variety of applications. I am particularly interested in problems related to material flow, freight flow, and people flow in logistics systems.

What is the best advice you've ever received? 

Early in my career, I participated in a professional development course where I learned about personality preferences, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, that describe our tendencies in making decisions and relating to others. The realization that engineers approach decisions and relationships from a wide variety of perspectives was both fascinating and beneficial as I collaborated with teams throughout my career.

What words of wisdom do you have for young women and girls hoping to enter the STEM field? 

I would encourage students to explore activities that tap into their strengths in order to build confidence and to explore activities that are beyond their comfort zone to expand their horizons.

Charlie Klauer, associate professor and research scientist

• Ph.D., industrial and systems engineering, Virginia Tech
• M.S., human factors psychology, Wright State University
• B.A., psychology, Minnesota State University Moorhead

What is your favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering?

Industrial and systems engineering is broad and diverse.  In many aspects, it puts the human back into engineering design.

What about your research or body of work excites you?

I believe that the research I do will have significant impacts on teen driving safety and save lives on our roadways.  Teen drivers are overrepresented in fatal and injury crashes and my research is finding ways to allow teen drivers to obtain the practice they need to become better/safer drivers but also minimize crashes while they are practicing.

What is the best advice you've ever received? 

Believe in yourself.  Whether you think you can or think you can't, either way you are right.  So you believe you can and work toward that goal.

What words of wisdom do you have for young women and girls hoping to enter the STEM field? 

Engineering is so diverse. Just looking at different faculty research pages on our website will show you how incredibly diverse and broad-scoped industrial and systems engineering can be!  Don't settle for something that seems safe ... explore and find the thing that you are passionate about and the rest of your career will be fun and enjoyable.  Not "work."

Esra Toy, associate professor

• Ph.D, industrial and systems engineering, University of Florida
• M.S., management science, Lehigh University
• B.S., industrial engineering, Bilkent University

What is your favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering?

My favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering is the broad application in the field of operations research.

What about your research or body of work excites you?

Operations research has been quite impactful in many different disciplines outside of ISE, from medicine to environmental health.

What is the best advice you've ever received? 

Follow your ambitions and be fearless in this.

What words of wisdom do you have for young women and girls hoping to enter the STEM field? 

Have confidence in your abilities and believe you have what it takes to succeed in science, engineering, and math. Stay curious and never stop learning. STEM fields are constantly evolving, and there is always something new to discover.

Niyousha Hosseinichimeh, assistant professor

• Ph.D., public policy, State University of New York at Albany
• M.P.A., State University of New York at Albany
• B.S., mechanical engineering, Sharif University of Technology

What is your favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering?

I really appreciate that it provides a holistic approach to complex problems, enabling us to address them more effectively. 

What about your research or body of work excites you?

I’m excited by a few things, including working with multidisciplinary scholars and integrating their knowledge in my research, expanding systems engineering tools for problem solving by exploiting new advances in generative artificial intelligence, and applying systems engineering methods to health and healthcare systems to improve public health.

What is the best advice you've ever received? 

Plan, execute patiently, and reflect.

What words of wisdom do you have for young women and girls hoping to enter the STEM field? 

You can be whatever you want to be.

Sol Lim, assistant professor

• Ph.D., industrial and operations engineering, University of Michigan
• M.S., biomedical engineering, University of Michigan
• M.S., industrial engineering, Seoul National University
• B.S., clothing and textiles, Yonsei University

What is your favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering?

I like ISE, especially [the area of] human factors, because we work to better systems and environments for people's health and overall well-being.

What about your research or body of work excites you?

I love developing and improving systems that can benefit humans. 

What is the best advice you've ever received? 

Be yourself. 

What words of wisdom do you have for young women and girls hoping to enter the STEM field? 

Be ambitious and open to learning new skills.

Binyang Song, visiting assistant professor

• Ph.D., engineering product development, Singapore University of Technology and Design
• M.S., automotive engineering, Tsinghua University
• B.Tech., automotive engineering, Tsinghua University

What is your favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering?

I really enjoy the interdisciplinary research aspects of ISE. 

What about your research or body of work excites you?

I am excited about the advancements in AI in systems engineering specifically.

What is the best advice you've ever received? 

Stay focused. 

What words of wisdom do you have for young women and girls hoping to enter the STEM field? 

Your curiosity is a powerful tool for learning and innovation. Don't be afraid to ask questions, seek out new knowledge, and challenge the status quo. Confidence in your abilities will grow as you explore and learn.

Natalie Cherbaka, collegiate associate professor

• Ph.D., industrial and systems engineering, Virginia Tech
• M.S., industrial and systems engineering, North Carolina State University
• B.S., mathematics, Taylor University

What is your favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering?

ISE shapes my perspectives on such a wide spectrum, from day to day to large societal problems. It has taught me to view the world around me with an appreciation for its complexity – and a desire to improve it.

What about your research or body of work excites you?

I am fascinated by how people and organizations adapt with technological advancements to capitalize, or not.

What is the best advice you've ever received? 

Eat lunch with your colleagues.

What words of wisdom do you have for young women and girls hoping to enter the STEM field? 

Read to build curiosity and understand areas where you lack personal experiences.

Laura Savage, collegiate assistant professor

• Ph.D., industrial and systems engineering, Virginia Tech
• M.S., integrated manufacturing systems engineering, North Carolina State University
• B.S., mechanical engineering, University of Notre Dame

What is your favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering?

I love supply chains. It sounds weird, I know, but I love that this thing that sounds so simple - you just order things and they get delivered - is actually so complex, made up of thousands of different decisions and players and moving parts. The whole thing is interconnected, from the cargo ships that move goods across the ocean to the warehouse workers that pick orders from the shelves, and every part needs to work together for your Amazon order to reach your house.  Any number of things can disrupt supply chains – recent years have proven that. Most of the time, though, people don’t even really think about this vast network that makes our entire world possible. I find it all very fascinating.

What about your research or body of work excites you?

Teaching is one of my favorite things to do. I love sharing my knowledge and watching my students become as excited about a topic as I am. One of the best ways to do that is to make my classes more interactive and engaging for my students. To that end, I’ve recently begun studying the effectiveness of board games as a teaching tool in some of my classes. My Probabilistic Operations Research students all played a board game I created, Markopoly, during class, and then performed some analysis on it for homework. Though I need to make some changes in the future, the game itself was a big hit – the students were engaging with the material and interacting with their classmates in ways that don’t happen with normal classwork. The initial results for its effectiveness in helping students learn and retain material are also promising.

What is the best advice you've ever received? 

The best advice I ever received was, “Act confident, and people will believe you.” I actually used to hate public speaking. In my freshman year of college, I had to give a very low stakes five-minute presentation to my seminar class, and I was so nervous that I could barely speak. Then, the day before a major presentation at an internship, someone said to me, “Act confident.  Remember, you are the expert on this project and they only know what you tell them. So act confident, and they’ll believe you.”  Something clicked in my brain – I did know the project better than any of my audience. They weren’t going to call me out if I messed up, because they wouldn’t know.  I definitely was not confident that day, or for a lot of presentations after that, but I pretended that I was. Eventually, the pretending became real and public speaking became easy. Now I teach classes with 200 people without a problem.

What words of wisdom do you have for young women and girls hoping to enter the STEM field? 

Don't be afraid to change your mind. There are a lot of different STEM fields, and we don't always know what our strengths will be until we try them. I started as a mechanical engineer focusing in robotics, moved into manufacturing processes, worked in modeling and simulation, did research in supply chains, and ended up teaching and doing pedagogy research. Though my path has had some twists and turns, I learned something at each step that led me to the next one. Even if you’re very sure right now that you know what you want to do, don’t be afraid to explore other interests as well. You never know what could end up being the next step in your path.

Kathleen Carper, instructor

• Ph.D., life sciences, Virginia Tech
• M.A., education, Virginia Tech
• B.A., English, Virginia Tech

What is your favorite thing about industrial and systems engineering?

I love working with students who have diverse career paths and interests. 

What about your research or body of work excites you?

I love being able to teach students practical skills. Not everyone is excited about learning writing and speaking, but most students end up appreciating it in the end. 

What is the best advice you've ever received? 

"Stay awkward, brave, and kind," Brene Brown

What words of wisdom do you have for young women and girls hoping to enter the STEM field? 

Do it. Don't let anyone stop you from doing what you want to do.