Industrial engineering faculty member wins prestigious award

Ali Kucukozyigit builds engineering management communities

From Apple to Amazon, the world’s five largest companies by market cap are technology companies. But beyond the scions of Silicon Valley, nearly every industry is dependent on teams of engineers to provide high-tech solutions for everything from manufacturing assembly lines, to supply chain management and communications systems.

Who will lead these teams to success?

Ali Kucukozyigit, an assistant teaching professor of industrial engineering in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, is hard at work raising awareness of engineering management programs designed to train such leaders.

“To be successful today, companies must be able to swiftly adapt to both advances in technology and changes in customer needs,” Kucukozyigit says. “This adds another layer to an already challenging business dynamic. Good managers are essential, and this is where the engineering management role becomes important.”

Engineering management combines sharp technical skills, knowledge of manufacturing and strong business acumen to create leaders capable of guiding large teams through complex industrial scenarios.

As communications director for the American Society for Engineering Management, also known as the ASEM, Kucukozyigit is on the front lines of efforts underway to spread a critical message: Companies need team leaders who are qualified engineering managers, and engineers need training in key management techniques.

“If a company is not well suited to manage the technology component of its business and it responds slowly to change, the business is placed at risk,” Kucukozyigit says. “Solving for this requires managers with the technical and business skills to oversee engineering solutions.”

The ASEM is an international professional society founded in 1979 dedicated to advancing the field of engineering management. The society publishes a number of journals and hosts an annual conference, bringing together students, researchers, academics and industry professionals. For his service to the ASEM, Kucukozyigit recently received the 2024 Frank Woodbury Special Service Award.

Named for industrial engineer Franklin B. W. Woodbury, the ASEM award recognizes positive contributions to the group and, more generally, efforts to improve awareness of engineering management. Though perhaps best known for his work in the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Woodbury was a passionate organizer and promoter of professional societies, playing an important role to forge international connections in the engineering management community.

Kucukozyigit has been a member of the ASEM for more than a decade, has presented at several conferences and has published academic papers in the group’s journals. However, this new award recognizes his service as the society’s communications director. He was elected to the position in 2022 and has since been engaged in increasing the ASEM’s visibility at the national and international levels.

Kucukozyigit has contributed to the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence’s goal to become a hub for excellence in engineering management training as well. The school’s engineering management online master’s program is ranked No. 5 by U.S. News & World Report.

This fall, the school launched a fully online Doctor of Engineering, or DEng, with a concentration in engineering management. Conceived with busy adult learners in mind, the program is highly flexible and culminates in a significant applied research project, ideally completed in tandem with the engineer’s work for their current employer. Kucukozyigit played a key role in the program’s development.

Ross Maciejewski, director of the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, says that demand for engineering management training will likely continue to rise and praised Kucukozyigit’s outreach efforts.

“As more industries become increasingly reliant on complex technology, we will see an even greater need for managers with sophisticated technical skills and strong soft skills,” he says. “Ali’s efforts to build an active, professional engineering management community will provide great opportunities for our students and faculty members.”

Next up, Kucukozyigit will lead students through the process of reforming an ASU ASEM student chapter to replace the one that disbanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group plans to organize site visits to industry collaborators, host guest speakers and provide seminars on essential soft skills. They hope to be up and running in the spring.

Kucukozyigit and his team will also attend the ASEM International Annual Conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in November, where they will present two papers that have been accepted for publication at the event.

Meanwhile, Kucukozyigit continues to encourage engineers and engineering students to join the ASEM.

“ASEM is your society if you are committed to advancement as an engineer or technical professional and are in a job — or working toward one — that requires management duties,” he says. “It’s the perfect place for students, academic professionals and working engineers to improve their network and gain valuable skills.”