Brian Smith

Brian Smith

Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator

Office: 260N McCain Hall
smith@ise.msstate.edu
P 662.325.7950

Dr. Brian K. Smith is a Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Mississippi State University. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Arkansas. He is a Certified Professional Engineering Manager (CPEM).

Prior to joining academia, Dr. Smith spent eight years in industry with SONY Corporation, advancing from quality engineering roles to Senior Manager. He draws on this experience to bridge academic research and real-world application.

Dr. Smith currently serves as a Dean’s Fellow in the Bagley College of Engineering focused on industry partnerships and engagement. He is a Technical Vice President of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) for the 2024–2027 term and Editor Emeritus of the Engineering Management Journal. He is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM).

His research and educational leadership center on management systems engineering, process improvement, advanced manufacturing workforce development, human performance technologies, quality engineering, and industry–academia collaboration. He has led or co-led multi-million-dollar projects, including the AiM UP advanced manufacturing upskilling initiatives, and is a founder of the Engineering Leadership Excellence (ELX) dual-degree program (B.S. Industrial Engineering + B.B.A.), which received the 2024 IISE Innovations in Education Award.

Education

  • Ph.D., Industrial Engineering, University of Arkansas.
  • M.S., Industrial Engineering, University of Arkansas.
  • B.S., Industrial Engineering, Mississippi State University.

Research Interests

  • Management systems engineering and process improvement
  • Advanced manufacturing and workforce development
  • Human performance technologies and industrial ergonomics
  • Quality engineering and performance measurement
  • Industry–academia partnerships and technology transfer
  • Decision analysis and systems modeling
  • Engineering education and leadership development

Selected Professional Leadership & Service

  • Technical Vice President, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), 2024–2027
  • Co-Editor-in-Chief, Engineering Management Journal
  • Fellow, American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM)
  • Undergraduate Coordinator, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
  • Faculty Mentor, Engineering Leadership Excellence (ELX) Program and Alpha Pi Mu

Selected Awards & Honors

  • 2025 IISE Special Service Award (Manufacturing and Design Division)
  • 2024 IISE Innovations in Education Award (for the ELX dual-degree program)
  • 2023 ASEM Frank Woodbury Special Service Award
  • ASEM Fellow
  • Phi Kappa Phi faculty inductee (2024)

Teaching Highlights

Dr. Smith serves as Undergraduate Coordinator and primary mentor for the Engineering Leadership Excellence (ELX) dual-degree program. He teaches and mentors students in industrial systems design (capstone), enterprise systems engineering, and related courses. He has developed and delivered hands-on advanced manufacturing workshops (collaborative robots, autonomous mobile robots, process FMEA, gage R&R, and laser marking) through the AiM UP Lab that have trained more than 240 Bagley College students.

Publications

A complete list of publications is available on Google Scholar.