Graduate Students
Buket Cilali Buket Cilali is currently a PhD student and a graduate assistant in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. She started her doctoral studies in 2019. She earned her B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering in 2016 from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. During her undergraduate education, she completed three internships at companies with international operations. For her senior project, she worked on attribute based demand forecasting for a retail company. After graduation, Buket started to work as a project manager in a private pension and insurance company. While she appreciated her industry experiences, she decided to go back to school to continue learning. In her free time, Buket likes to attend theater events and is especially fond of musicals. And she also likes to spend time painting and playing the cello. Jeff Lineberry Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Jeff Lineberry is a Doctoral Candidate in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. He completed his M.S. degree in the Department of Operations Research at Naval Postgraduate School, where his thesis dealt with estimating production cost while Jeff is currently serving as a US Navy Lieutenant Commander instructing mathematics at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Jeff’s most recent experience includes his role as a Simulation Officer for US INDO-PACOM Detachment 701 and a temporary employment as the lead Operations Research System’s Analyst for an INDO-PACOM Joint Test and Evaluation Quick Reaction Turnaround investigation on the Joint Accuracy of Nationally Derived Information. Throughout his professional career, Jeff has performed individual and recurring assignments in support of critical projects utilizing a broad range of scientific methodologies necessary for the development of reports and models used to successfully review and evaluate a multitude of unique operational investigations. For other professional information, please see Jeff’s LinkedIn.
Ghaneshvar Ramineni Ghaneshvar R.C. is a Ph.D. student in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, having started in the Spring of 2020. He is originally from Bangalore, India, where he got his bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from RV College of Engineering, and he recently earned an MS degree in Data Science and Analytics at OU where his thesis dealt with the application of machine learning techniques to model interdependent network restoration. His research interests lie mainly in optimization. In his free time, he likes to cook, take photographs, watch TV shows and cooking videos, play basketball, and occasionally travel.
Deniz Emre Deniz Emre is a Ph.D. student in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. She started pursuing her Ph.D. degree in the Fall of 2020. Deniz received B.S and M.S degrees in Industrial Engineering from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. She spent two semesters at Korea University’s Industrial Management Engineering Department in Seoul, South Korea as an undergraduate exchange student. Deniz’s graduate research at Bilkent University was focused on multiobjective optimization and her thesis work was presented at the 2019 INFORMS Annual Meeting in Seattle. Deniz is from Ankara, Turkey and in her spare time she enjoys exploring healthy food recipes, dancing, and traveling. Deniz is excited to further advance her academic career at OU ISE with a mission to contribute to high-quality research focused on solving complex problems that matter.
Alice Nanyanzi Alice Nanyanzi is a Ph.D. student in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, a journey that commenced in the fall of 2023. Originally from Kampala, Uganda, she began her undergraduate studies with a focus on Computer Engineering, earning a B.S. degree from Busitema University. Building on this foundation, she attained a structured M.S. degree in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Cape Town, followed by a research-focused M.S. in Mathematics from both Stellenbosch University and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in South Africa. Her academic trajectory took an enriching turn when she assumed the role of a teaching assistant at AIMS-South Africa. This experience not only provided a peek into an academic career but also allowed her to actively engage in the innovative teach-as-you-learn model. It was during this period that she faced a pivotal decision on whether to pursue advanced studies further, ultimately finding fulfillment in the multidisciplinary domain of ISE at OU. The confluence of computation and mathematics at the heart of ISE aligns closely with her academic interests. Outside the realms of academia, Alice finds joy in the rhythmic expression of dance, playing volleyball, fashion and designing, engaging in creative DIY projects, and delighting in carefully observing the world around her. For more details on her professional journey, feel free to visit her LinkedIn profile.
Undergraduate Students
Former Students
Alireza Rangrazjeddi Alireza Rangrazjeddi is a Ph.D. student in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at OU since Spring 2019. He received his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering in 2005 from Azad University in Iran, and he subsequently spent five years in industry. In 2013, he completed his M.S. degree in Industrial Engineering at the University of Technology, Malaysia, where his thesis focused on developing a mathematical formulation to optimize the competitive strategy of enterprises. Alireza also had research experience in applying simulation, data analytics, and experimental design techniques in the service and transportation sectors, resulting in five papers and conference presentations. He has also worked in several national and international companies, where he was involved in large-scale construction projects as a member of the project management team. Currently, he is a member of the Risk-Based System Analytics Laboratory at OU as a research assistant. Alireza’s current research interests are mainly dealing with mathematical optimization, game theory, and machine learning in an algorithmic environment, applied in risk and resilience analysis of interdependent infrastructure networks following a disruptive event. Alireza has a strong desire to have a positive impact on society, and he found ISE to be the right major to implement this desire. He is a member of the OU student chapter of INFORMS and enjoys reading and watching science fiction movies, particularly anything related to aviation, space, and beyond.
Leili Soltanisehat Leili Soltanisehat is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, having started doctoral studies in Fall 2018. She received her B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering in 2010 from Bu-Ali Sina University in Iran, ranked as a top student and honored with the M.S. fellowship award. Leili completed her M.S. in Socio-Economic Systems Engineering at Bu-Ali Sina University in Iran in 2013, where her thesis was mainly focused on analyzing the productivity of industries in Iran, using an econometrics approach. She received her second M.S. in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at Old Dominion University in the USA in 2018, where she worked on analyzing blockchain technology applications to cyber-physical system security. She received the GA-Rookie award for her academic accomplishment at Old Dominion University. Leili had research experience in applying data analytics, agent-based modeling, decision making, and experimental design techniques (mainly for analyzing social systems, cyber-physical systems, and the energy sector). Her research has resulted in five journal papers and nine conference presentations. Leili’s research interests are mainly focused on modeling and simulation techniques, data analytics, and optimization, with applications in socio-economic systems. Leili won two scholarships from the MIT Sloan School to attend the Systems Dynamics summer school and Complex Systems winter school in May 2017 and Jan 2018, respectively. Currently, Leili is a member of the INFORMS Subdivisions Council and the officer of the OU student chapter of INFORMS. Leili’s hobby includes playing santoor and piano, planting, cooking, reading novels, traveling, and camping with friends. Nafiseh Ghorbani Renani Nafiseh Ghorbani Renani is a Ph.D. student in the OU School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, beginning doctoral studies in the Spring of Yasser Almoghathawi, Ph.D., Spring 2018 Yasser Almoghathawi earned his Ph.D. degree from the OU School of Industrial and Systems Engineering in Spring 2018, having both M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Yasser's MS thesis dealt with the optimal location and configuration of base stations and frequency assignment for cellular mobile networks. Prior to OU, Yasser's work has appeared in Wireless Networks and in Advanced Materials Research, and he has presented research at the 2013 International IIE Conference in Istanbul, Turkey. His research interests broadly deal with applications of operations research, including optimization, mathematical modeling, sequencing and scheduling, stochastic processes, supply chain, and planning and control. He worked in industry for over five years, primarily as a project planning and control engineer in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), a leading petrochemicals company. He's prepared to turn friends and colleagues in Saudi into Sooner fans. Nazanin Morshedlou, Ph.D., Spring 2018 Nazanin Morshedlou, Ph.D. defended her dissertation in Spring 2018. Her dissertation dealt with the development of a restoration work crew routing problem, integrating infrastructure network restoration She received her B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Sharif University of Technology and her M.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from University of Tehran, both in Iran. Previous research primarily dealt with transportation systems, including the application of queueing theory to traffic flows, stochastic vehicle routing problems, and disaster management. Her prior work has appeared in the Journal of Manufacturing Systems and in the International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Her work on vehicle routing was given the best paper award at the 9th International Industrial Engineering Conference held in Tehran in 2013. As a teaching assistant, she worked as an instructor in the manufacturing laboratory at Sharif University of Technology from 2009 to 2012, and she was also a teaching assistant in operations research and queuing theory at University of Tehran from 2011 to 2013. She interned with Siemens during the summers of 2015 and 2016. Nazanin is a member of the OU student chapter of INFORMS, and apart from her academic life she plays the piano, paints, and is a big fan of performing arts (she has been instructor of classic dance and traditional Iranian dance).
Mohamad Darayi, Ph.D., Summer 2017 Mohamad Darayi earned his Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering in the summer of 2017, and he is currently an Assistant Professor in Systems Engineering at Penn State Great Valley. He received his M.S. degree Seyedmohsen Hosseini, Ph.D., Summer 2016 Seyedmohsen Hosseini is an assistant professor within the Industrial Engineering Technology program of the School of Construction at the University of Southern Mississippi. Mohsen authored a review (the first, to the authors' knowledge) of engineering resilience measures for Reliability Engineering and System Safety. The use of Bayesian networks to quantify resilience appeared in Computers and Industrial Engineering and the International Journal of Production Economics, with more work in submission. Prior to OU, Mohsen's previous research focused on developing efficient meta-heuristic algorithms for solving large scale optimization problems, including dynamic facility layout and aircraft landing problems, with work appearing in Neural Computing and Applications and Journal of Air Transportation Management, among others. Mohsen was born in Babolsar, in the Mazandaran province of Iran. He received his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Mazandaran University of Science and Technology in Iran and his M.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Mississippi State University. He speaks Persian, German, and English languages fluently, along with a conversational understanding of French. Hiba Baroud, Ph.D., Summer 2015 Hiba Baroud is an Assistant Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at Vanderbilit University. An OU College of Engineering Hughes Centennial Fellow, she earned her Ph.D. from the OU School of Industrial and Systems Engineering in 2015. Her research work explored Bayesian methods to study the likelihood Hiba was instrumental in the OU student chapter of INFORMS and presented her work at the INFORMS Annual Meeting on several occasions. As a student she also presented work at the Industrial and Systems Engineering Research Conference, the International Conference on Structural Safety and Reliability (ICOSSAR) in New York City, NY in 2013, the Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium in Charlottesville, VA in 2014, and the International Conference on Vulnerability and Risk Analysis and Management and International Symposium on Uncertainty Modelling and Analysis (ICVRAM-ISUMA 2014) co-conference in Liverpool, UK in 2014. Her work has twice been awarded the Best Paper Award in the Homeland Security Track of the Industrial and Systems Engineering Research Conference (in 2012 with Cameron MacKenzie, Ph.D. and in 2013 with Raychal Lurvey and Cameron MacKenzie, Ph.D.). Her work with Dr. MacKenzie was also given the top poster award at OU's Graduate Student Research and Performance Day in 2012. In the summer of 2013, she had an internship with IBM at the Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY, and she spent the summers of 2014 and 2015 at the Summer Doctoral Institute organized by the Center for International Business Education and Research at the George Washington University. Hiba's work, as primary author or co-author, has appeared in Risk Analysis (second Risk Analysis paper), Transportation Research Part E, Annals of Operations Research, Reliability Engineering and System Safety, and the Journal of Infrastructure Systems. Hiba discussed one aspect of her research in this video, produced for the Student Merit Award of the Engineering and Infrastructure Specialty Group of the Society for Risk Analysis. Hiba earned her Master's of Mathematics in Actuarial Science from the University of Waterloo, Canada, where she focused in her research on the application of statistics, particularly time series models, to analyze financial data. Prior to that, she obtained her B.S. in Actuarial Science from Notre Dame University, Lebanon. Cameron MacKenzie, Ph.D., Spring 2012 Cameron MacKenzie, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, within its Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering department. Cameron earned a Ph.D. from the OU School of Industrial and Systems Engineering in Spring 2012, exploring how industry preparedness decisions such as keeping inventory and using Raghav Pant, Ph.D., Spring 2012 Raghav Pant, Ph.D. is a post-doctoral Infrastructure Network Analyst with the Environmental ![]() Emma Kuttler Emma Kuttler is an M.S. student in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. Her thesis develops a protection-interdiction-restoration model for multi-commodity networks. She previously earned her B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from OU in 2021 and was named Outstanding Senior in both ISE and the Honors College. As an undergraduate, Emma published research in multi-criteria decision-making. She has interned for MITRE, Textron Aviation, and Michelin. In her free time, Emma enjoys cooking, embroidery, reading, and hiking. She has also auditioned for multiple game shows and will someday appear on TV. Christopher Bourgeois, Spring 2021 ![]() Originally from Prairieville, LA, Chris Bourgeois earned an MS in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, where he was co-awarded the Best MS Thesis award in 2021. He previously earned his BS in ISE with minors in Computer Science and Music from OU in May 2020. As an undergraduate, Chris served as Vice Chair of Data Analysis for Dance Marathon and as an Honors College Ambassador for Admissions and Recruitment. He has worked as a Software Development Intern at Velocity Squared and as an Engineering Intern at Williams. In his free time, Chris is a proud theme park fanatic, musical junkie, and tap dancer. For more information, visit his profile on LinkedIn. Saf'a Maraqa, Spring 2020 ![]() Saf'a Maraqa earned an MS in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a certificate in Data Science and Analytics. She earned her B.Sc. degree in industrial engineering from Hashemite University in Jordan in 2010, where she was awarded as being in the group of top students in her class. After working in the industry for almost seven years in her home country, she made the decision to relocate with her family to the US. Her experience is in the field of strategic and project management, and she earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate in 2014 after being involved with multiple projects in the social security and institutional development fields. Beside her official job she was a volunteer in Jordanian Engineers Association in Industrial Engineers and Media committees. Building on her past experience, her thesis work deals with infrastructure system restoration from a project manager’s perspective. She loves meeting new people, enjoys the diverse community at OU, and most of all she appreciates having family and friends in her life. Deniz Berfin Karakoc, Spring 2019 Deniz Berfin Karakoc is an M.S. student in the OU School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, beginning her studies in the Fall of 2017. Deniz received her B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. Apart from school, Deniz spends her time mostly on reading, performing arts, traveling and experiencing new cultures. So far, she has visited 12 countries in four continents and still counting! ![]() Lauren Yeagle, Fall 2018 Lauren Yeagle completed her M.S. degree in Data Science and Analytics at the University of Oklahoma after she earned a B.S. at OU in Industrial and Systems Engineering. She has worked as a business analyst intern at Bell Flight in Fort Worth, TX, creating regression models and developing data integrity procedures. She also has worked as a research assistant with Dr. Ziho Kang, studying the effectiveness of the FAA’s training programs. Her research focuses on measuring and optimizing influence in resilient community networks.
Hannah Lobban, Fall 2017 ![]() Hannah Lobban is working on her M.S. degree in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. She previously earned her B.S. in ISE with a minor in Spanish Language from OU. As an undergraduate she served as Activities Chair for both the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers and Dean’s Leadership Council. She has worked as an engineering intern at MedEncentive in Oklahoma City and as a research assistant for Dr. Kim Wolfinbarger, director of OU’s Engineering Leadership Program. In 2016 Hannah was awarded the Gilbreth Memorial Fellowship from IISE. Her research focuses on optimizing the allocation of resources to reduce the vulnerability of interdependent networks, particularly emphasizing socially vulnerable populations. Sreeram Ganesan Meena, Summer 2017 Sreeram Ganesan Meena earned an M.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering at OU in Summer 2017. His thesis research dealt with resilient supplier selection. He graduated with a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering in May 2014 from University of Mumbai, India. As an undergraduate he founded a Formula SAE team in his college and led the Vehicle Dynamics Team at the Formula Student Germany 2014. His hobbies include playing guitar, as well as sports like badminton and soccer, and he looks forward to maintaing his role as #1 Sooner fan. Matt McCarter, Spring 2017
Elyssa Mooney, Spring 2017 Elyssa Mooney earned an M.S. in the OU School of Industrial and Systems Engineering in Spring 2017 as part of the accelerated M.S. degree program, having earned her B.S. in ISE from OU in May of 2016. She is now employed by Walmart. Her thesis research developed a facility location model to enable interdependent infrastructure network recovery. In her final year as an undergraduate student, Elyssa served as President of the Institute of Industrial Engineers as well as a Dean’s Leadership Council mentor. She was awarded the ISE Advisory Board Scholarship in both in 2015 and 2016. Elyssa has worked as an Engineering Intern at Johns Manville and as a Logistics Engineering Intern at Walmart. She routinely brags about her quirky resemblance to Jessica Day.
Andrew Stewart, Fall 2016
Mackenzie Whitman, Summer 2016 Matthew Stewart, Summer 2016
Molly Floyd, Summer 2015
Robert Hague, M.S., Spring 2014
Robert Shaffer, M.S., Spring 2014 Robert Shaffer obtained a Master of Science degree in the OU School of Industrial and Systems Engineering in the spring of 2014, having earned a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering (computer option) from Oklahoma State University in 2001. Robert is an electronics engineer for Tinker's 76th MXSG, maintenance group, doing so for the past 11 years. He is currently a senior reliability engineer at OG&E. His thesis research dealt with stochastic importance measures for system availability. He spends the majority of his free time with his wonderful wife and family, doing his best to indoctrinate them in the philosophy of reliability. Other interests include market auction theory, market and volume profiling, psychology and performance, along with data gathering and analyses. Chris Mance, M.S., Summer 2013 Chris Mance earned an M.S. in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering Tiara Chapel, M.S., Spring 2013 Tiara Chapel earned an M.S. degree infrom the OU School of Industrial and Systems Engineering in Sifat Kalam, M.S., Spring 2013
Jeremy Pfeifer, M.S., Spring 2013 Jeremy Pfeifer came to the OU School of ISE in the Mary Gravette, M.S., Spring 2013 Mary Gravette graduated in May 2013 with an M.S. degree from the OU School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Mary earned her B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Management from Oklahoma State University in May 2003. She is currently an Aerospace Engineer civilian for the Department of Defense United States Air Force at Tinker Air Force Base. She facilitates Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) and coordinates the Product Improvement Working Group (PIWG) for Aerospace Sustainment. Her thesis research work, which appeared in the Journal of Risk and Reliability, developed availability-based component importance measures to improve reliability-based sustainment decision making. Other research interests of hers include process improvement, data mining, preventative maintenance, and establishing predictability with reliability, availability and maintainability models. Mary enjoys discovering unique local restaurants, skiing down snow powdered mountains, and being waterside at tropical destinations. She spends her spare time with family and close friends. Dustin Wagner, M.S., Fall 2012 Dustin Wagner earned an M.S. degree from the OU School of Industrial and Systems Engineering in December 2012 after having earned a B.S. in IE at OU in May 2010. A recipient of the 2011 Technical Women Organization's Scholarship, Dustin is currently employed with the Federal Aviation Administration. Dustin is interested in applying supervised and unsupervised learning methods for classification and regression analysis, and his thesis work applied these methods to the study runway excursion risk (appearing in the Journal of Risk Research). Kaycee Wilson, M.S., Spring 2012 Kaycee Wilson earned an M.S. in Spring 2012 from the
Zach Walchuk completed his M.S. degree in Industrial Engineering in May 2011. Zach, a National Merit Scholar, earned his B.S. in IE at the University of Oklahoma in May 2009. His research work centers around the development of models describing the interdependent impacts of disruptive events interconnected industry and infrastructure sectors. Application areas include (i) the multi-regional impacts of disruptive events at commodity-specific docks in inland ports, and (ii) the widespread economic impacts of scarce resources. This second research stream resulted in a paper in Environment, Systems, and Decisions. The results of Zach's research can inform risk management strategies at inland ports in the former application, and measure the efficacy of sustainable alternatives to scarce resources in the latter. Zach is originally from Mankato, Minnesota, and works for Epic Systems in Madison, Wisconsin. Raychal Lurvey, Fall 2012/Spring 2013
Andrea Viacaba, Summer 2009 Andrea Viacaba earned a B.S. degree in Production Engineering from Universidad Simon Bolivar in
|