Advisor Eligibility

Steps to Finding an Advisor (or Committee Member)

Important Considerations for prospective PhD Students
  • Our Ph.D. application is competitive: the program is highly sought-after and we have limited capacity for new students each application period. Because securing an advisor can be the longest and most difficult part of the application process, we encourage you to begin well in advance of the application deadline.
  • Please reference the application checklist/instructions for details on this process.
  • You cannot apply to the Ph.D. program without securing an advisor. Without a confirmed advisor, your application will be considered incomplete and not reviewed for admission.
  • If you have more questions, see our Frequently Asked Questions. 

Systems Engineering Core Faculty

NamePrimary DepartmentSpecialization(s)Eligible to be PhD Advisor?Eligible to be PhD Committee Member?Eligible to be Master’s Advisor?Eligible to be Master’s Committee Member?Eligible to be Outside Committee Member?
Adams, JimSystems EngineeringSatellite SystemsYesYesYesYesNo
Batchelor, AnnEmeritus – Systems EngineeringEngineering Project and Program ManagementNoNoNoNoNo
Bradley, ThomasSystems EngineeringEnergy and Resource Systems, Multidisciplinary Systems EngineeringYesYesYesYesNo
Brown, AaronSystems EngineeringHumanitarian Engineering, Sustainable and Socio-technical Systems, Human FactorsYesYesYesYesNo
Cale, JamesSystems EngineeringEnergy Systems IntegrationYesYesYesYesNo
Coburn, TimSystems EngineeringEnergy and Transportation Analytics, Energy Economics and Policy Analysis, Energy Operations and Systems, Management Science, Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Resource Assessment, Energy InfrastructureYesYesYesYesNo
Conrad, SteveSystems EngineeringWater, Energy, and Resource Systems, Human Factors, Coupled Systems Modeling, Decision Analysis/Support SystemsYesYesYesYesNo
Daily, JeremySystems EngineeringHeavy Vehicle Systems – Cybersecurity & ForensicsYesYesYesYesNo
Gallegos (Miller), ErikaSystems EngineeringTransportation Systems, Human Factors, SafetyYesYesYesYesNo
Herber, DanielSystems EngineeringDesign Optimization, Systems Architecture, Dynamics/ControlsYesYesYesYesNo
Marzolf, Greg (Bo)Systems EngineeringDepartment of Defense Resiliency Efforts, Government Emergency Management/Response Architectures, and Controls on Complex Emergent system BehaviorsYesYesYesYesNo
Paglioni, VinnieSystems EngineeringHuman Factors, Risk and Reliability Analysis, Nuclear Safety, Energy Systems, Causal Bayesian NetworksYesYesYesYesNo
Eftekhari Shahroudi, KamranSystems EngineeringSystem Architecture, Multidisciplinary System Design OptimizationYesYesYesYesNo
Simske, SteveSystems EngineeringAnalytics, Intelligent Systems, Sensing Systems, Imaging Systems, Cybersecurity, and Situationally-Aware Collectors of Knowledge (SACKs) in roboticsYesYesYesYesNo
Vans, MarieSystems EngineeringAugmented/Virtual Reality Design of Software and Simulations and Analytics, Document Understanding and Analytics, Information ScienceYesYesYesYesNo

Systems Engineering Associated Faculty

Please note: Faculty listed as ‘Associated’ have a joint appointment in SE but a primary home department elsewhere. These faculty may serve as ‘SE’ members on committees and may not serve as an ‘outside member’ for SE students.

NamePrimary DepartmentSpecialization(s)Eligible to be PhD Advisor?Eligible to be PhD Committee Member?Eligible to be Master’s Advisor?Eligible to be Master’s Committee Member?Eligible to be Outside Committee Member?
Anderson, Charles (Chuck)Computer ScienceMachine LearningNoYesNoYesNo
Arabi, MazdakCivil and Environmental EngineeringHydrologic/Water Quality Monitoring, Data Assimilation and System Analysis, GIS and Remote Sensing in Watershed Management, Nonpoint Source Pollution/Soil and Water Conservation, Environmental MonitoringYesYesYesYesNo
Bond, TamiMechanical EngineeringEnergy, Air Quality, Climate, Environment, HealthYesYesYesYesNo
Butler, CharlesComputer Information SystemsInformation TechnologyYesYesYesYesNo
Carlson, KennethCivil and Environmental EngineeringWater and Wastewater Related IssuesYesYesYesYesNo
Chan, JoshuaChemical and Biological EngineeringModeling and Engineering MicrobiomesYesYesYesYesNo
Chong, EdwinElectrical and Computer Engineering and MathematicsControl/Optimization and Wireless NetworksYesYesYesYesNo
Dillon, JasmineSoil and Crop SciencesAgricultural Life Cycle Assessment and Systems ModelingYesYesYesYesNo
Elliott, JonathanConstruction ManagementConstruction Workforce Development, Offsite and Modular Construction Practice, Technology Integration in ConstructionYesYesYesYesNo
Ghosh, SudiptoComputer ScienceSoftware Engineering, Model-Based Software Development, Software testingYesYesYesYesNo
Golicic, SusanManagementSustainability and Innovation in the Supply ChainNoNoNoNoNo
Goodrum, PaulConstruction ManagementConstruction Productivity, Workforce Strategies, VisualizationYesYesYesYesNo
Grigg, NeilCivil and Environmental EngineeringInfrastructure and Utility ManagementYesYesYesYesNo
Harper, ChristoferConstruction ManagementProject Delivery and Contracting, Construction Workforce Development, Advanced Construction Technologies, Construction and Engineering EducationYesYesYesYesNo
Jayasumana, AnuraElectrical and Computer Engineering and Computer ScienceDigital Systems and Communication NetworksYesYesYesYesNo
Killingsworth, JohnConstruction ManagementConstruction Finance, Architectural History & Preservation, Transformative and Virtual Learning Theory, Workforce Development and Training in Construction and Manufactured ConstructionYesYesYesYesNo
Malaiya, YashwantComputer ScienceTesting, Reliability, and SecurityYesYesYesYesNo
Mehany, MohammedConstruction ManagementClaims Management, Infrastructure Asset Management, Resilient Systems and Sustainability, Life Cycle Costs and AssesmentsYesYesYesYesNo
Olbina, SvetlanaConstruction ManagementBuilding Information Modeling (BIM), Sustainability, Construction Safety, Virtual and Mixed Reality in ConstructionYesYesYesYesNo
Pasricha, SudeepElectrical and Computer EngineeringEmbedded and Cyber-Physical Systems, IoT and Mobile Computing, Datacenter ComputingYesYesYesYesNo
Peccoud, JeanChemical and Biological EngineeringBiomanufacturing, Bioinformatics, SecurityYesYesYesYesNo
Quinn, JasonMechanical EngineeringLife-Cycle Assessment, Techno-Economic Assessment, System OptimizationYesYesYesYesNo
Radford, DonaldMechanical EngineeringComposite Materials TechnologyYesYesYesYesNo
Ray, IndrakshiComputer Science and Electrical and Computer EngineeringSecurity and Privacy, Database Systems, Software EngineeringYesYesYesYesNo
Sharvelle, SybilCivil and Environmental EngineeringWastewater and Greywater Reuse, Biological Process Engineering, Conversion of Waste to Energy, Integrated Urban Water ManagementYesYesYesYesNo
Troxell, WadeMechanical EngineeringIntelligent Robotic Systems, Distributed Application ArchitecturesYesYesYesYesNo
Valdes Vasquez, Rodolfo Construction ManagementSustainable Development, Net-Zero/Net-Positive Buildings and Communities, Social Sustainability in the Construction SectorYesYesYesYesNo
Venkatachalam, Chandrasekaran (Chandra) Electrical and Computer EngineeringSignal Processing, Radar Systems, UAVsYesYesYesYesNo
Wrighton, KellySoil and Crop SciencesSoil MicrobiomesYesYesYesYesNo
Young, PeterElectrical and Computer EngineeringRobust and Learning Control, Clean Energy SystemsYesYesYesYesNo
Zimmerle, DanMechanical EngineeringPower SystemsNoYesNoYesNo