Industrial & Operations Engineering MSE

I have worked on data analytics and modeling in the purchasing, logistics, and supply chain areas at GM since graduation. I was promoted from researcher to senior researcher to data science & analytics lead. I developed myself in 3 aspects through projects: technical know-how on building data pipeline and models; business know-how on how to bridge the gap between IT, Business, Modeling; project management such as managing people without authority. I also built a reputation and become the technical go-to person regarding complex issues over time. For example, when GM sponsored the 2019 INFORMS student competition, I convinced the leadership to choose the topic I was most excited about: analyzing future vehicle delivery networks with autonomous vehicles. I got to define, collect data, analyze, and coach students on this exiting problem. I learned a lot while judging alongside selected top university professors and industry executives.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

The master’s degree from UM IOE provided me with a lot of possibilities. On my side, I also tried to utilize it to the most. Firstly, I took the Ph.D. level Operations Research courses such as Integer Programming, Linear Programming, Stochastic Process I, 2, and Queue Theory. Secondly, I was a research assistant with Professor Cong Shi on applying the Approximation Dynamic Programming policy in the Revenue Management area. Thirdly, in the simulation course, with the guidance of Professor Luiz Guzman, I read papers and technically lead our final project to win the first prize of the national ProModel simulation competition. Finally, I networked and learned from my fellow classmates through participating and organizing the department events, working as the department peer advisor.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

Figure out what you want and focus on it. If you are interested in the Data Science jobs, the master level courses in operations research, simulation, statistics together with a programming course would help a lot. You could leverage free UM Coursera courses and specialize during the winter/summer break and after graduation. Last but not least, you will meet a lot of smart people in your program, make friends, and keep in touch! 

My first job out of college was in procurement for Toyota. Though I was seeking a production engineering position, my employers insisted I would be a great fit. Most of my hesitation was down to my total lack of understanding on what a role in procurement meant. As I worked through my first few months in this role, I realized that it was tailor-made for anyone who wanted to be a specialist and a generalist. Rotating through different responsibilities gave me a good general understanding on how various subsystems of automobiles worked and further also to appreciate the sourcing and manufacturing challenges. After my masters at Michigan, I joined Apple’s procurement team and was amazed at how within a year I could have a good conversation on Wireless technologies without ever having had any prior background in the field before Apple. Working on the Apple Card and being part of the core team was an insightful opportunity to completely appreciate the effort that goes into bringing up a whole new product from the design studio out into the hands of millions of customers. I would highly recommend looking at a future in procurement if you are looking for a role where you could create meaningful business impact and at the same time expand your technical knowledge of multiple diverse domains.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

Absolutely enjoyed every minute of every course I took. Some courses which I found useful in my current role : Inventory Analysis, Applied Business Analytics, Simulation, Manufacturing & Supply Operations. Some of the operations courses at Ross are extremely useful for practical applications in the real world. My personal favorite course was Stochastic Processes even though I tend to use what I learnt there less directly – but nevertheless, a great course to give you intuition about how to describe the world mathematically. Apart from course textbooks, I would also recommend purchasing a copy of ‘Factory Physics for Managers’ for all aspiring Operations professionals.

I began as a Data Scientist at Amazon in 2017. The most important classes to succeed in that role were IOE X6X (statistics) and IOE X7X (data/simulation). Data Scientists are considered “generalists”, and I was tasked with projects relating to statistical analysis, data pipeline automation, and dashboarding and visualization, among others. When I wanted to specialize (in optimization), I switched roles to Research Scientist – which allows me to work on larger-scale projects in a specialized field. I am now working on building models and putting them in production. My time as a Data Scientist has proved extremely helpful, since I am familiar with all the CS developer tools and skills required to do this successfully. 

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

In general, research positions require you to have a PhD or Masters degree. I had peers who were interested in research positions but were not considered since they did not have an advanced degree beyond a bachelors. Specifically, my degree in IOE put me in a great spot for working in Amazon Operations.

Advice to Students

I would recommend that every student join a student org or community that gives you something beyond what classes offer. I think the bulk of my maturity as a professional came from working in student orgs. I was most heavily involved in BLUElab (specifically, Woven Wind). Working with and leading the team threw me into a full-time position running a non-profit, with the CoE’s full support when I needed it (managing PR, legal considerations, tech reviewers, and so much more). I also found that to be the easiest way to make friends and build a network. 

I left an executive career track in a mainframe computer company to join my first startup, founded by a U-M CoE classmate – and I never looked back. A dozen ventures and four exits later, I’m an executive coach and startup angel, living on a prairie 20 miles west of Ann Arbor, and teaching Innovation Leadership and Product Management at the U-M.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

I went back to grad school to study the ways that people, processes, and technology combine to create products that people actually use – that help solve wicked problems and make the world better for everyone. The I&OE program was my Masters in Engineering Administration. It accelerated my career into leadership roles, teaching at the Ross School of Business and InnovateBlue, and running startups.

Advice to Students

Go Broad. Grad students have amazing learning opportunities, in and out of the classroom, across a dozen CoE Departments, 19 U-M schools and colleges, and the vibrant Ann Arbor technology ecosystem. A broader education amplifies the value you bring to the companies and communities you serve. And electives reward your curiosity: a vital asset in innovation and entrepreneurship.

After grad school, I received a Fulbright fellowship which allowed me to live and teach in Paris, France for about a year. This was a life-changing experience as I was exposed to a different mindset and way of enjoying life. It strengthened in me the concept of working to live, not living to work. It’s important that your self-worth is tied to something more substantive than the approval you receive at your job. I believe this actually helps you to do better at work when your self-image is rooted in something stronger. I began my working career at Google, starting in an Operations role focused on People systems, warehouse management, and onboarding executives, moving into a Benefits Program Manager role managing new vendor integrations, and then finally into a People Consultant role supporting sales and tech clients across a wide variety of HR and people-related issues. I’ve always desired to stay in a constant learning state, seeking fresh experiences to broaden my skill set and expose myself to new people as I started from scratch in each of my new roles. Honestly, an engineer, all of a sudden in HR?! I know it sounds far-fetched. But I have always desired to use my technical skills to help improve people’s lives in some capacity, so the roles I took on required a blend of analytical and people skills, which I’ve continued to hone. I also began to understand early on that who I was working with was just as important, if not more, than what I was doing. You want to work with people you can learn from, who will advocate for you. I recommend seeking to join the teams of strong, humble leaders who value developing their people.  

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

My master’s degree helped open the door for me to begin working at a place like Google, where everyone is insanely talented and qualified. I remember Google cold-sourcing me right at the end of my grad school year and it was a total surprise. I wish I had asked how they found me, but alas, I will never know. My hunch is that it was from an EGL resume book. Even in an informal sense, every time you introduce yourself on a new project and share your engineering master’s background, it adds to your credibility in the room. It’s commonly accepted and understood what lengths you have to go to and the amount of discipline required to achieve a master’s level of education in an engineering field, so be encouraged as you do what it takes. It will pay off in the end!

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

You spend a lot of time thinking about what it is you want to do because that’s what everyone asks you about your whole life. An amazing mentor in my life encouraged me to spend time thinking about how it was that I wanted to live. Then, to go out and find the people who are living like that and convince them to teach me what they did to get there. And then do it! I would encourage you to do the same. 

My professional career started in the auto industry in 1993 working as an industrial engineer at Ford Motor Company’s most highly automated parts manufacturing plants. I had just received my Bachelor’s degree in Industrial & Operations Engineering (IOE) and was excited to use the theoretical concepts I had learned in school on real life engineering problems. After just a couple of years working at the plant, I applied and was accepted to the Rackham School of Graduate Studies at the University of Michigan in Dearborn where I studied Industrial & Systems Engineering. I rotated through four more assignments at Ford while attending graduate school after work. One year I worked on the midnight shift at the plant as a production supervisor which required me to attend night school before work making an already long day even more challenging. Eventually, the hard work and effort put into my graduate school education in ISE paid off. This academic achievement helped land me a permanent role at headquarters working as a Sr. Operations Engineer on a small team of technical experts using advanced industrial engineering methodologies to solve complex manufacturing system problems. This role allowed me to hone my skills to a level of expertise that eventually led to my appointment to a Manufacturing Technical Fellow of Operations Engineering. I spent 13 years in the automotive industry before deciding to move on to new challenges that I never imagined I would encounter. I spent 8 years at Amazon in Seattle designing, implementing and scaling its massive retail fulfillment network around the world. That was followed by a move to Silicon Valley where I spent 3.5 years building the Material Flow Engineering Department at Tesla and implementing game-changing automated material delivery systems at Tesla’s cutting edge factories in California and Europe. In 2016, I was tapped by the new Chief Supply Chain Officer at Target (a former Amazon leader I had worked with) for a  startup in the Silicon Valley office of the Supply Chain Engineering department. There I recruited fresh talent and brought high-tech automation capabilities to help transform the company’s distribution and fulfillment network. I am now at Google learning about the technical infrastructure that drives the internet and reimagining the design and operation of Google data centers. I have been privileged to work at some of the most successful and innovative companies in the world. 

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

My career journey has been extraordinary, enabled by my graduate-level engineering education, hard work and a constant curiosity to learn new things. It is doubtful that I could have done so much without a Masters degree and no other field other than industrial engineering could have opened doors for me into such diverse industries and exciting companies.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

I have been a member of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) for 30 consecutive years. I have supported the students of the profession by giving guest lectures in IE graduate courses, speaking at student career forums and mentoring several undergraduate and graduate IE students and young professionals. In 2018, I received the IISE Fellow Award which, “recognizes outstanding leaders of the profession who have made significant, nationally recognized contributions to industrial and systems engineering”. I have been actively involved with MHI, the trade organization of the supply chain equipment and services industry, and I served as an official member of the Forbes Technology Council. My advice to any student is to politely listen to the wishes and desires of others, but then go pursue your own interests, whatever they may be, and you will have so much more fun working in the future doing the things you are passionate about, yet always be open and curious to learn new things along the way.

After graduating from the IOE BSE program in Spring 2015, I had the opportunity to be a Product Management intern with Amazon in Seattle, WA (a career path that I hadn’t specifically looked at prior to graduation). During the internship, I experienced the exciting, fast pace of the tech industry, along with the opportunities in the PM role of working with both tech and business contacts. After the internship, I liked it so much, I decided to return to Seattle with Amazon on the International Expansions team, to bring tech solutions to customers all over the world. International expansion was a must from me in terms of career, as I participated in the International Minor for Engineers and felt a passion for cross-border solutions. From there, I developed my network of contacts as I worked on an increasing scale of products, impacting more country websites and broadening in scope, which eventually enabled me to be relocated to Luxembourg for a 6-month assignment. For this, my charter was to advise a team on best practices and scalability of products I had previously launched for other countries. The experience working across cultures (and time zones) on a wide array of products made me a good candidate for this short term position to teach what I had learned (and teaching is the best way to increase your depth of knowledge on products as well – a skill I learned to love after having the opportunity to GSI for some undergrad classes during my Master’s program). 

Upon arrival in Luxembourg, I was challenged to not only advise on products I’d worked on before but also help use those launch skills to improve the business in other ways. I loved being able to apply principles and learnings from previous projects to new use cases. In fact, after 6 months of living in Luxembourg, I decided to find a new start-up team in the EU that I could keep diving into similar initiatives full-time. The IOE Master’s program had given me the depth of knowledge in certain fields but also the breadth of classes across fields/industries is what allowed me to build the foundation for applying basic principles to any field. Having that skill of using your own personal “tool kit” for any number of ambiguous situations is what gave me the confidence and building blocks to propel my career in ways I never expected. 

As of July 2020, I found that “new start-up” I was looking for, and relocated permanently to Amsterdam – helping the team to launch the new Amazon.nl website and continue to work on feature improvements/new features from the ground up. My new function is an exciting mix of applying previous, proven methods of leading cross-regional teams and learning new skills every day. I’ve found the most important skill in itself was learning how to start from scratch and deal with ambiguity to find the unique solution to new problems. 

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

For me, the Master’s degree was able to widen my breadth of knowledge in terms of fields. When I can work on projects in my career that are about efficiency and streamlining processes (that I focused on in undergrad), I also have a knowledge of design principles and setting up experimentation that I learned during the Master’s program that sets me apart from other PMs. In addition, I was given the opportunity to apply for more types of roles with the Masters as opposed to just undergrad (though I’m sure this differs by company). The hands-on experience that I was able to attain during the Master’s program is something that gives me confidence as well, which is definitely a huge factor that I was able to influence what types of projects I wanted to work on with my current team. 

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

The IOE department at Michigan is near to my heart – I made some of my best, life-long friends, extended my personal network (meaning I had friends in Seattle when moving to a new city!), and so many experiences that I truly cherish. My favorite classes were definitely the Ergonomics classes (which I never would have thought going in!), and I still quote the design principles on a daily basis when working on customer-facing projects at work. One of the best decisions I ever made was joining the Engineering Global Leadership/Tauber program which opened up a world of networking opportunities (both professional and personal). Also, the Ergonomics society gave me the ability to see a wide array of Industrial Engineering jobs in practice, which helped me narrow down the field I wanted to work in. 

In my current role, I serve as the Senior Safety Engineer for the Mechanical Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). I work with Division Management to develop and implement the Division’s Safety and Health Objectives and Programs to achieve “”Goal Zero.”” I have expertise in building, managing, and auditing occupational health and safety management systems, applying occupational safety engineering, ergonomics/human factors, and industrial engineering principles to solve complex health and safety issues.

Prior to joining SwRI, I had the privilege of administering occupational safety programs across a variety of different industries, including healthcare (University of Michigan Health System), automotive (Toyota – North America), and aerospace (Lockheed Martin Commercial Engine Solutions). 

In these previous roles, I gained invaluable experience and skills: Lead and Internal Auditor of the Safety Management System for an entire Manufacturing Plant; Trainer and presenter for both general and specialized Safety and Health training courses (e.g., Lockout/Tagout, Bloodborne Pathogens, Ergonomics, Machine Guarding, Safety Management Systems, and Equipment Commissioning Process, etc.); managed Industrial Hygiene Monitoring for large-scale projects (e.g., excessive noise, chemical sampling, etc.); performed risk assessments, incident investigations, root cause analysis, as well as developed recommendations for corrective/preventative actions; created emergency action plans and conducted emergency drills.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

The University of Michigan Center for Occupational Health and Safety Engineering (COHSE) is only one of eighteen Education and Research Centers (ERC) across the United States that is supported by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).   Being an alumnus of the University of Michigan has allowed me to greatly differentiate and distinguish myself from my peers in this field. As a NIOSH Trainee in the COHSE’s Occupational Safety Engineering and Ergonomics (OSE) Academic Program, I had the opportunity to engage in a multi-disciplinary educational experience by taking classes in the College of Engineering as well as the School of Public Health. The OSE Program provided me with the necessary education, skills, and insights needed to successfully transition from the classroom and into a rewarding career as a Safety Professional.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

Professional Organizations

While I attended UM, I was involved in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) and the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE).  After graduating from UM, I joined the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). ASSP is a global association for occupational safety and health professionals (39,000+). They provide education, advocacy, standards development, scholarships/grants, and a professional community to their members in order to advance their careers and the OSH profession as a whole.  This organization has been a tremendous resource in my personal and professional development. I strongly recommend joining as a student and volunteering for a leadership position in your local Chapter (i.e., the Greater Detroit Chapter). 

Professional Licenses, Certifications, and Designations to aspire to obtain:

– Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) – Board of Professional Engineers (per State in US)

– Certified Safety Professional (CSP) – Board of Certified Safety Professionals

– Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) – Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics

– Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) – American Board of Industrial Hygiene

– Lean Green Belt / Black Belt – Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers

– Hazardous Waste Operations Responder (HAZWOPER) – various providers

– OSHA 30-Hour General Industry and/or Construction – OSHA Training Centers

Some of my favorite and most influential classes include:

– Safety Engineering Methods

– Manufacturing Strategies

– Work Organizations

– Occupational Safety Management

– Measurement and Design of Work

– Occupational Biomechanics

– Theories of Administration

– Intro to Systems Engineering

– Cognitive Ergonomics

– Human Error and Systems Failure

– OHSE Program Management

– Seminar in Occupational Health and Safety

– Ergonomics Project/Thesis

After completing my MSE IOE, I joined the digital forensics team at a consulting company in SF where I had the opportunity to work with many different tech companies to improve the inefficiencies for how data flows. It was a rewarding experience that allowed me a wide breadth of interesting challenges and approaches to privacy as well as fun travel and exposure to meet new people. I pivoted in-house to FB’s privacy program where I now work directly with teams implementing privacy by design before products are launched. My engineering background has prepared me to quickly and critically think through product proposals and effectively communicate privacy by design requirements. 

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

The MSE IOE program was tailored in an application-based model in that classes prompted interesting real-life complexities requiring students to tactically apply IOE principles. For example, I distinctly remember setting up an effort to analyze the ergonomic stress a person in the kitchen may encounter while executing a simple task as well as a model to analyze the efficiency of the university bus system. Both of these projects required students to be able to strategically design a data-driven project that in turn would be used to provide recommendations for improvements. By spending two years executing in this academic environment, I’ve been able to quickly adapt this mindset to my professional career. 

My journey has been two-fold.   I started my career out in the 1990’s in mechanical automotive engineering, and could recognize potential limitations there, so I returned to the University for a master’s in Industrial Engineering with an emphasis in computer science, and that got me into a career of IT and software development, which I have been very happy with.  Once working in IT and software development, the projects become your opportunity to leverage into better, more important projects in the future.  So on the one hand, to become the best that you can be, you want to be the best that you can be at the job you are doing now.   But you need to have that spider sense to recognize when it is time to move on.  Early in my career, I maybe didn’t stick with opportunities long enough.  Later in my career, I probably stayed too long and missed better opportunities.   Of course, when you are on a project, you should stick with it through its logical conclusion.   Fortunately in the corporate world, that usually doesn’t last more than 2 or 3 years.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

On the one hand, my master’s degree got me into my field (IT, software development), which I have liked a lot.  And in this field, I have been able to get some promotions, learn new concepts quickly, and survive.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

I use to attend the monthly IEEE lunchtime meetings with speakers coming in from industry, and I think they were quite worthwhile.  I was lucky to run with the cross-country team a little, and it seems like the current club team is a good option for exercise and camaraderie.  The mistake I probably made was trying to super-charge my university days with too much studying and not enough balance in my student life.

I began my career as a software engineer in a rotational program at Capital One that allowed me to work on different teams and included professional development programming. While I came in with primarily backend experience (given that CSE at Michigan was very C++-focused),  I got a lot of practice with front-end development through the roles I held at Capital One. I learned about web accessibility, product development, and user experience in addition to picking up technical skills and tools. I eventually became the frontend expert for one team, which set me up for my next job at Airbnb. I joined Airbnb as a fullstack software engineer and immediately got assigned to frontend projects. This gave me a lot of familiarity with the product and the system, and since then I’ve led technical development on a number of projects and been actively involved in product discussions. Through each of these roles, I’ve gained confidence as a software engineer and professional and had the opportunity to make an impact on my teams.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

My IOE master’s degree was beneficial in a few ways. It gave me an opportunity to explore a somewhat new field and to practice solving different kinds of problems with new tools. This expanded my mindset and helped me to think about the bigger picture. It also gave me confidence.  Additionally, my master’s degree made me stand out to recruiters, who recognized the additional coursework and practice, and the expanded scope of my education, so it gave me a leg up when applying for jobs.  Because I ultimately moved into a software role, the content of my master’s degree might seem less relevant in the face of the technical knowledge I need for my day-to-day work. However, the habits I picked up in grad school inform a lot of my other interactions and have enabled my involvement with product development and my partnership with the business side of my team. I love that I can work in such a cross-functional way, and I believe I owe some of that to my master’s degree.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

My advice is to try different things – take a class that is outside of your major, join a student organization that sounds intriguing, or attend any of the incredible events and shows on campus. Don’t be too concerned about joining the “right” organization or taking just the “right” classes. Whatever you do, you’ll be learning, challenging yourself, building your network, gaining valuable experience, and hopefully having fun too.

I took a variety of internships each summer between school years including data entry at a healthcare company in my hometown, an Ergonomics intern for the EHS department at U of M, and most recently a NIFS intern at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. I was interested in human factors and decided to do a one-year MSE program. I was able to specialize more in Human Factors (Cognitive Ergonomics, Biomechanics, and Inclusive Design), try out multidisciplinary product development, and take some BioMed classes to better prepare for the healthcare industry. While completing my Masters, I found a job as a Human Factors Engineer at Phillips Medisize in Hudson, Wisconsin, doing R&D for new medical devices. In the HFE role, I got to travel as far as Japan for user research and usability testing. After two years in the Twin Cities, I decided to move to Ogden, Utah and took a position as an EHS Engineer at Northrop Grumman where I manage ergonomics and work to continuously improve workplace safety while supporting the development of space systems.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

I was able to specialize and prove competency in my favorite subjects. My MSE also gave me the opportunity to teach and helped me stand out against job seekers with a couple of years of work experience.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

I really enjoyed the Living Arts community in Bursley Hall. I made lasting friendships, and although we live all over the country, we still make time to visit each other. Some of us even play tabletop RPGs virtually.

My advice to students is don’t be afraid to add some fun extracurricular classes – whether it’s swimming, Congolese dance, video game music, or your required humanities electives, take advantage of your time at school and read, participate, and explore as much as you can!