In This Story
George Mason University’s Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research (SEOR) continues to set the standard for solving complex global challenges. In 2025, SEOR faculty demonstrated bold leadership, groundbreaking research, and academic excellence—cementing the department’s reputation as a powerhouse of systems thinking.
Driving global conversations
SEOR faculty are shaping the future of systems engineering on the world stage. John Shortle and Ali Raz will serve as general chairs for the 2026 Conference on Systems Engineering Research (CSER), joined by Mathew Amissah and Abbas Zaidi as technical chairs and Lance Sherry as sponsor chair. Earlier this year, SEOR hosted the Council on Engineering Systems Universities (CESUN) 2025 conference at George Mason’s new Fuse building. Paulo Costa also co-chaired the International Conference on Information Fusion (Fusion) 2025, reinforcing SEOR’s influence in international research communities.
Securing research wins
Raz secured a $1.6 million grant from the National Center for Manufacturing Science to develop digital engineering methodologies for next-generation Army vehicles—a project poised to transform defense technology. Shima Mohebbi earned an $8,000 grant from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) to create a sustainability-focused curriculum, while Kathryn Laskey’s groundwater mapping system was licensed by Global MapAid, helping African farmers access clean water and improve soil conservation.
Earning prestigious honors
SEOR faculty collected some of the most coveted awards in the field. Chun-Hung Chen was inducted into the INFORMS Fellows Class of 2025, one of the highest honors in operations research; Janis Terpenny was named an ASEE Fellow; and Peggy Brouse received the Virginia Cybersecurity Educator Award, recognizing her leadership in cybersecurity education statewide.
Competing with the best
SEOR faculty and students continue to shine in competitive arenas. K.C. Chang won the Pierre Le Cadre Best Paper Award at Fusion 2025, outperforming 157 accepted papers. Shima Mohebbi and PhD candidate Behnam Momeni earned their third consecutive Best Track Paper Award at the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) conference for innovative work on water conservation incentives. Meanwhile, Mohebbi, PhD candidate Pavithra Sripathanallur Murali, and MSc graduate Nischal Newar won second place in the IISE Data Analytics and Information Systems Mobile/Web App Competition for their emergency response app, Go-Rescue.
Together, these achievements showcase SEOR’s unwavering commitment to innovation, leadership, and global impact, advancing systems engineering for a smarter, more sustainable future.