Vision for the Future

A Letter From The Division Head

We are proud to announce our impact report for the 2021-2022 academic year. As we move forward, Systems Engineering will continue to strive and follow the 2030 model approach for BU as created by the Provost’s office, striving for excellence in maintaining and creating: a vibrant academic experience; cutting-edge research that matters; diversity, equity and inclusion; community, big yet small; and global engagement. These tenets make up the vision of the Division for this decade.

From 2021-2022, Systems Engineering grew to 19 appointed faculty members, with home departments spanning the College of Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Questrom School of Business, and the Medical School.

Our PhD enrollment is currently at 41 students, along with 13 students in the MS program and 7 in the MEng program. There were 5 PhD degrees awarded last year, along with 13 MS and 4 MEng degrees. The Division continues to provide full financial support to all admitted PhD students through fellowships, while our continuing PhD students remain fully-funded from research grants received by participating and affiliated faculty. This year, our total sponsor commitment for active grants was approximately $35 Million.

The Division has enjoyed one of its most productive years in terms of scholarship. We remain committed to world-class interdisciplinary research activities in our primary concentration areas: Automation, Robotics and Control; Communications and Networking; Computational Biology; Information Sciences; and Production, Service and Energy Systems. In partnership with the Center for Information and Systems Engineering (CISE), we continue to engage in exciting collaborative projects that involve faculty from different colleges and departments at BU, consistent with the College of Engineering’s commitment to promote a convergent approach for tackling complex scientific and societal challenges.

As we transition into the 2022-23 academic year, I gratefully acknowledge the contributions of all Division faculty, staff, and students who continue to pursue the Division’s research and educational mission.