Khalifa University’s Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE) Department joins other prominent international universities as it becomes a member of the Council of Engineering Systems Universities (CESUN). The CESUN is an organization of more than 50 universities from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was established in 2004 by top-ranked universities from around the world that offer educational and research programs in Engineering Systems. Among the member universities are MIT, Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Tokyo, and Cambridge University. Khalifa University is the first from the MENA region to join the Council.
One of the missions of KU’s ISYE Department is to prepare its students for the challenges that they will be facing in the 21st century. “The great achievements of the past century have led to the development and growth of large systems that are complex and require a new set of skills to grapple with them. Over the past decades, a new engineering field of study (Systems Engineering, Engineering Systems, …) has emerged with the aim to address these challenges in systems such as energy, communications, transportation, health care, and many others,” Dr. Ali Bouabid, Assistant Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, said.
“CESUN is, at its core, about bringing to bear engineering knowledge, along with research and design, to address the great challenges posed by large-scale, interconnected, and therefore highly complex and dynamic social-technical systems,” Dr. Bouabid further explained.
The main goal of the Council is to provide a mechanism for member universities to work together in developing the discipline of Engineering Systems as a new field of study, and to broaden its engineering education and practice. “Our department will benefit greatly from this membership in sharing best practices among the member universities, and establishing connections with the best educators and researchers in this discipline,” said Dr. Bouabid
The ISYE Department is eager to be an active member of CESUN. Some of the possible plans for KU would be to undertake joint projects of mutual interest in the field of study; organize meetings, symposia, and conferences; and build relationships with related professional societies and journals. These will help put Khalifa University on the world map as one of the top universities offering a program of study and research in Engineering Systems.
Ara Maj Cruz
Creative Writer
6 January 2022
