The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is proud to announce that Dr. Jennifer Pazour has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), one of the highest honors awarded by the organization. This prestigious recognition reflects Dr. Pazour’s sustained contributions to research, education, service, and leadership within the field of industrial and systems engineering.
As a Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Dr. Pazour has built a career centered around solving complex logistics and supply chain challenges through mathematical modeling and optimization. She is especially recognized for her work in on-demand systems, resource allocation problems with supply side choice, omni-channel logistics, and nonprofit platform design. Dr. Pazour’s career is marked by both scholarly excellence and meaningful societal impact. She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings, and been awarded numerous awards, including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, a Johnson and Johnson Women in STEM2D fellowship, and a RPI School of Engineering Faculty Research Excellence Award. She utilizes her ISE skills to lead multiple collaborative research projects, with an illustrative example being a NSF-funded collaborative initiative to co-design a nonprofit resource sharing platform called SWAP. Over 60 resources, including meeting spaces, video editing, marketing consultations, and operations analysis consultations, have been exchanged by participating nonprofits. Notably, this is 1 of 4 federally funded projects in which Dr. Pazour currently serves as a PI or Co-PI.
In addition to her research accomplishments, Dr. Pazour is an exceptional educator and highly sought-out mentor. Her commitment to student success has been recognized with multiple teaching awards, including the Rensselaer Alumni Association Teaching Award and the IISE Logistics and Supply Chain Division Teaching Award. Within RPI’s ISE department, Dr. Pazour serves as the PhD Program Director and leads key department initiatives in curriculum development, graduate recruitment, and faculty mentorship.
Her impact extends far beyond campus through service to the profession. Dr. Pazour has held editorial roles for IISE Transactions, Transportation Science, and Omega, and currently serves as President of the INFORMS Transportation Science and Logistics Society.
Dr. Pazour proudly holds three degrees in Industrial Engineering (a B.S. from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, as well as a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas) and one of her favorite professional activities is to introduce people to this wonderful field and then watch them do impactful things. This includes developing an introduction to ISE video, as well as serving as a frequent keynote speaker and STEM outreach advocate.
“As someone who believes the world needs more industrial and systems engineers, who can be human-centered and think systematically and analytically about complex problems, I am lucky to have discovered this profession and am extremely honored to receive this award,” Pazour said.
Congratulations, Dr. Pazour, on this well-deserved recognition!
