Four image collage. Each image showcases a teacher in front of a classroom or whiteboard

University of Michigan Faculty Members Recognized with Prestigious IISE Awards

Albert Berahas, Amy Cohn, Eunshin Byon and Raed Al Kontar have all been honored with awards from IISE for their work in the field of industrial and systems engineering.

Industrial and Operations Engineering (IOE) faculty within the University of Michigan (U-M) have been at the forefront of innovative research and education this year. Their efforts have been recognized by the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), with several faculty members receiving prestigious awards across various divisions. These awards highlight their commitment to excellence in industrial and systems engineering and will be presented at the annual IISE conference in Montreal, Canada, from May 18-21.

Albert Berahas wins the 2024 IISE Excellence in Teaching Operations Research Award

Albert berahas Portrait
Albert Berahas

Assistant Professor, Albert Berahas has received the IISE Excellence in Teaching Operations Research Award, as a testament to his exceptional ability to convey complex operations research concepts in an accessible and engaging manner. 

Berahas received a commendation for his outstanding teaching of the undergraduate course IOE 310– Introduction to Optimization Methods. The committee praised his creation of a welcoming and inclusive classroom atmosphere enriched with new practice problems and coding exercises. Students have expressed immense appreciation for his dynamic and engaging teaching style, noting that his dedication has not only deepened their understanding of optimization methods but also fostered a strong sense of community within the IOE discipline.

Portrait of Amy Cohn
Amy Cohn

Amy Cohn designated as an IISE Fellow

Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Amy Cohn has achieved the status of IISE Fellow. Each year less than 20 individuals annually from a membership exceeding 10,000 are named Fellows making this a prestigious honor. Read more about Amy Cohn’s IISE Fellow Award here. 

Eunshin Byon honored with the 2024 IISE Excellence in Teaching QCRE Award

Associate Professor, Eunshin Byon has been awarded the IISE Quality Control & Reliability Engineering (QCRE) Division Teaching Award for excellence in her teaching practices. 

Eunshin Byon
Eunshin Byon

Byon’s was recognized for her innovative methods in teaching IOE 366 and for her initiatives to modernize the data science curriculum for IOE undergraduate students. This recognition reinforces her status as an educator who excels in preparing students to become leaders in quality control and reliability disciplines. Byon’s research interests revolve around statistical analysis within the environment and human health and safety sectors. 

Raed Al Kontar Receives the 2024 IISE Transactions Service Award

The 2024 IISE Transactions Service Award will be granted to Assistant Professor, Raed Al Kontar in recognition of the quality work and dedication of department editors and associate editors at IISE Transactions. To be eligible for this award members must have served for at least 12 months on the IISE Transactions editorial board.

Raed Al Kontar Portrait
Raed Al Kontar

Raed Al Kontar and Seokhyun Chung achieved recognition as IISE-QCRE Best Track Paper Competition Finalists

In addition to his service award, Associate Professor Raed Al Kontar, along with his former PhD student Seokhyun Chung, achieved finalist status in the IISE-QCRE best track paper competition. Their paper, titled “Real-time Adaptation for Condition Monitoring Signal Prediction using Label-aware Neural Processes,” offers groundbreaking insights into the predictive maintenance of complex systems. Chung is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia.