SPACE

Grissom. Armstrong. Powers. Bandla. Will you be the next Boilermaker to take a giant leap in Space? Join us as we explore the frontiers of possibility.

Whether we are designing the modern space suit, optimizing mission communications, simulating events in our models of cis-lunar and low earth orbit, manufacturing and building in space, or tracking and collecting space junk, The Edwardson School continues the Purdue legacy of leadership in space.

News

Engineering meets science: Purdue collaboration aims to personalize nutrition through digital health

StrmMusic Taps Geoff Cubitt to Lead North America Amid Global Expansion

Gary Cheng Received 2025 ASME Blackall Machine Tool and Gage Award

Faculty and Graduate Students Honored at College Awards Luncheon

Wenzhuo Wu awarded U.S.-Africa Frontiers Fellowship

Wenzhuo Wu selected as distinguished lecturer by IEEE Nanotechnology Council

Team

Team

Team Leaders

Barrett Caldwell

Barrett Caldwell

Professor, Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering - Courtesy Appointment in Aeronautics & Astronautics
Research Interests

Human factors engineering

Distributed human supervisory control

Team coordination and performance using information technology

Reem Khir

Reem Khir

Assistant Professor Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering
Research Interests

Logistics and transportation planning

Supply chain analytics

System modeling and optimization

Robust and stochastic optimization

Machine learning for constrained optimization

Team Members

Vaneet Aggarwal

Vaneet Aggarwal

Reilly Professor, Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering
Research Interests

Supervised learning

Reinforcement Learning

Large Language Models

Quantum Machine Learning

Applications in Networking, Transportation, Robotics, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Biomedical, and Climate

Stephan Biller

Stephan Biller

Harold T. Amrine Distinguished Professor, Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering & Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business Director of Dauch Center for the Management of Manufacturing Enterprises
Research Interests

Leading eXcellence in Manufacturing and Operations (XMO) dedicated to sustainable, digital and physical

Sustainable and flexible supply chains

Sustainable and flexible agriculture in light of climate change

Gary Cheng

Gary Cheng

Professor Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering
Research Interests

Laser materials processing

Hybrid manufacturing systems

Rapid manufacturing of 3D bulk structural nanomaterials

Manipulation and processing of biomaterials

Multilayer functional coating

Mechanical/physical property enhancement of metals

Danial Davarnia

Danial Davarnia

Associate Professor, Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering
Research Interests

Construction and building structures in space

Physics is different, materials Is different

Human Factors in Constructions operators

Bradley Duerstock

Bradley Duerstock

Professor of Practice in Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering, Joint Appointment with Biomedical Engineering
Research Interests

Neurotrauma

Assistive Technology/Rehabilitation Engineering Physiological Control

Behzad Esmaeili

Behzad Esmaeili

Dr. Rohan & Mrs. Merle Phillips Rising Star Associate Professor, Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering Joint Appointment with Civil Engineering
Research Interests

Construction safety

Risk management

Decision making

Ana María Estrada Gomez

Ana María Estrada Gomez

Assistant Professor Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering
Research Interests

Complex Systems

High-dimensional streaming data

Monitoring and diagnosis

Adaptive sampling

Probabilistic graphical models

Zachary Hass

Zachary Hass

Assistant Professor Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering & Nursing
Research Interests

Health Outcomes

Program Evaluation in Health Services research for Older Adults

Harsha Honnappa

Harsha Honnappa

Associate Professor Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering
Research Interests

Analysis of stochastic models

Optimal design and control of stochastic systems

Model estimation and inverse problems for stochastic models

Generative modeling

Space operations

Manufacturing and service operations

Seokcheon Lee

Seokcheon Lee

Professor Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering
Research Interests

Distributed control

Supply chain management

Computer/Communication networks

Sensor networks/Ubiquitous systems

Service systems

Yu She

Yu She

Assistant Professor Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering; Courtesy appointment in Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Courtesy appointment in School of Mechanical Engineering
Research Interests

Robotics

Mechanism Design

Tactile Perception

Young-Jun Son

Young-Jun Son

James J. Solberg Head and Ransburg Professor of Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering
Research Interests

Real-time control of smart factories via digital twins

Modeling human decision-making (Belief-Desire-Intention models)

Multi-paradigm simulations (agent-based, discrete event, system dynamics, VR)

Modeling and control of emerging applications (emergency evacuation, UAV/UGV coordination, social networks)

Wenzhuo Wu

Wenzhuo Wu

Professor Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering
Research Interests

Nanomanufacturing

Self-powered Nanosystems

Renewable Energy

Human-integrated Technologies

Smart sensors and electronics

Yuehwern Yih

Yuehwern Yih

Tompkins Professor, Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering
Research Interests

Design, monitoring, and control of complex systems

Behavior-based dynamic control

Process/system modeling, analysis, and improvement

Machine learning and AI

Healthcare system re-engineering

Denny Yu

Denny Yu

Cubitt Rising Star Associate Professor Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering
Research Interests

Quantifying intraoperative workload

Developing patient-factor-based workload models

Medical device design and usability testing

Integrating wearable sensor devices for intelligent health systems

Related Work

IE Frontiers: Purdue Orbital Deployment Assessment System (PODAS)

Indiana Space Grant Consortium

Cis-Lunar Space Initiative

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