To reflect the expanded nature of the programs offered at the Cullen College of Engineering, the Industrial Engineering Department is now the Industrial & Systems Engineering Department.
The name change was approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on February 3, 2025, effective immediately. The new name reflects the increased scope of industrial engineering that is being offered by Cullen in a world that increasingly relies on the engineering work of complex, integrated systems.
Gino J. Lim, Professor & R. Larry and Gerlene (Gerri) R. Snider Endowed Chair, cited the wide need for skilled professionals and increased visibility as reasons for the name change and the emphasis on Systems Engineering.
“The department introduced the B.S. degree in Systems Engineering to address the urgent demand for well-trained system engineers in the Greater Houston Area,” he said. “This program also aims to enhance the expertise of a significant number of local industrial professionals, particularly in Oil & Gas and Healthcare, by equipping them with the confidence and skills required to lead complex engineering projects successfully.”
Systems Engineering has been offered by the Industrial Engineering Department since 2020, as part of the College’s development of the Katy campus. Lecturers Neil Diaz Martinez and Nirathi Keerthi Govindu are part of the program, which has produced notable student successes since its establishment, like Jordyn Sibert, a member of the 2023 cohort for the Department of Defense’s SMART scholarship program. Sibert is also the 2024-25 Outstanding Senior for the Systems Engineering Department.
“Since its inception, enrollment in the Systems Engineering track has grown rapidly, with the first cohort of graduates set to enter the industry this summer,” Lim said. “This track will further strengthen the ISE department by fostering innovative solutions and contributing to the development of a highly skilled workforce for our nation.”
The new name of the department is already reflected in upcoming events, the first of which is the Industrial & Systems Engineering Awards Banquet on April 10. The keynote speaker for the event is Nancy J. Currie-Gregg (’97), Ph.D., Professor of Practice of Industrial & Systems Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, Director of the Texas A&M University Space Institute and a former NASA astronaut. For more information, please visit the banquet’s website here.