“Leading a School of Industrial Engineering in the 21^st Century”

In the last century, we witnessed an increasing level of academic achievement and technical developments in engineering, including electrification, micro-computerization, and the internet. In industrial engineering, we have evolved from scientific management to large-scale modeling and optimization, to inclusion of behavioral and human aspects in organizations. While many argue that all breakthrough discoveries have been made, we are still confronting a number of challenges, such as nanomanufacturing and prevention and mitigation of human induced disasters. To successfully address these challenges, it is imperative that we capitalize on the intersections and interactions of many knowledge domains. A notable example of such capitalization is design of systems that assist healthcare providers in delivering consistent quality of care, where is needed, when is needed, and at an affordable cost. The field of Industrial engineering is now in a unique position to lead a systematic exploitation of these opportunities. The way in which we lead is key to our success. We must strive to create and sustain dynamic and flexible academic environments that foster learning, discovery and innovation, entrepreneurship, and commitment to societal needs.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. José L. Zayas-Castro is Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Industrial & Management Systems Engineering at the University of South Florida (USF), and Assistant Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at USF. Prior to this appointment he was Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering at the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU). For sixteen years he taught at the Department of Industrial Engineering at University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (UPRM), where he served as department head between 1987 and 1990 and as Associate Dean for Academic and Research Affairs of the College of Engineering between 1995 and 1998. He has led initiatives to stimulate interdisciplinary research, education and industrial collaboration within UPRM, MU, USF, and with other institutions in the U.S. and Latin America. Dr. Zayas-Castro has led various initiatives to increase the diversity among the student body and faculty hires in engineering and other disciplines. He has done extensive work with private and governmental organizations, including small businesses, service organizations and major corporations such as Johnson & Johnson, Baxter, Cutler-Hammer/Westinghouse, Hewlett Packard, Hanes, and Citibank.

Dr. Zayas-Castro has a B.S. in IE from UPRM and M.S. in Management & Industrial Engineering, MBA, and Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His interests relate to statistical process control, applied modeling, systems integration, business and R & D strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship, cost analysis, technology transfer, assessment, healthcare systems and healthcare delivery, and innovation in engineering education. Dr. Zayas-Castro recent research has emphasized the re-design of processes and products, re-engineering the service sector, particularly healthcare, and the integration of research and engineering education. Examples of these efforts are: reengineering and modeling healthcare operational systems in healthcare systems, e.g., hospitals and clinics, healthcare decision making in outpatient and inpatient processes, re-engineering of Graduate Medical Education, product and process developments in medical devices and bio-medical businesses, and the extension and adaptation of the Learning Factory using small scale technology.

Dr. Zayas-Castro is a Fellow of IIE, 2005-2007 Sr. VP for International and past Chair of the Council for Industrial Engineering Academic Department Heads (CIEADH). He is also a member of INFORMS, Alpha Pi Mu, ASEE, ACM, SME, SHPE, NSBE and IEEE.  April 2009 he was notified as being the recipient of the 2009 ASEE John L. Imhoff Global Excellence Award for Industrial Engineering Education.