POSTECHIAN Today

Purdue Appoints UArizona Professor Young-Jun Son as Head of Industrial Engineering

2022-02-03 1,297

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Professor Young-Jun Son, a graduate of POSTECH and a University of Arizona (UArizona) professor, has been appointed as the new head of the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University. Purdue is highly regarded for its College of Engineering and its School of Industrial Engineering in particular is considered finest in the U.S. (#2 for undergraduate program and #10 for graduate program, U.S. News & World Report 2022)

After graduating summa cum laude from POSTECH, Dr. Son received both his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Pennsylvania State University in just four years and became a faculty member at UArizona at the age of 26.

He was tenured in just ten years at UArizona and has achieved remarkable accomplishments in education and research. He was the first Korean to receive the Outstanding Young ME Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and received mentor awards and selected as fellow at UArizona. In recognition of his outstanding achievements, Dr. Son served as department head of systems and industrial engineering there since 2014.

“Dr. Son has a strong, proven track record as an outstanding head of systems and industrial engineering at UArizona for almost eight years. We were thoroughly impressed by his capabilities and vision during the search process,” said Mung Chiang, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering and Purdue’s executive vice president for strategic initiatives. “This is a critical moment for Purdue IE, one of the most highly regarded programs across the university. I am confident that Dr. Son, with full support from the faculty, staff, students, alumni and the College, will further advance the school to be the best IE department in the U.S. and sustain the pinnacle of excellence at scale.”

“I would like to become a role model for other IE schools in the nation,” Professor Son said. “I will strive to make Purdue IE the best and most welcoming environment for students to study and grow and a place for faculty and staff to excel. IE is needed by any large system, so I also will work with our team to collaborate with many units across campus, as well as local, regional and national communities.”

Purdue’s School of Industrial Engineering includes 950 students and 30 faculty members. Professor Son will be in charge of raising the influence, recognition, and position of Purdue for the next five years. His term begins in June 2022.