Taylan G. Topcu
Assistant Professor of Systems Engineering & Analysis at The Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech
Organizational Complexity
November 15, 2021 - 12:00 PM Eastern Time
Speaker Bio:
I am an Assistant Professor of Systems Engineering & Analysis at Virginia Tech, in the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. My research integrates data-science, microeconomics, and systems engineering to study measurement issues in the context of complex engineered systems design. I am interested in two overarching themes: decomposition/architecture theory and management of safety-critical systems. I specialize in conducting mixed-methods research with a strong empirical grounding, often leveraging government & industry partners such as NASA, INFRABEL (the Belgian National Railroad Company) and MITRE for the research setting and refinement of my theoretical insights.
At Virginia Tech, I serve as the Director of Systems Engineering Master’s of Science Degree and the Coordinator of the Mission Engineering Certificate Program. I also teach ISE 5834 Decision Analysis for Engineers.
Prior to joining the faculty at Virginia Tech, I was a Postdoctoral Scientist at the George Washington University in the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, working with Prof. Zoe Szajnfarber. I received my doctoral degree at Virginia Tech in the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (2020), where I served as a graduate assistant for the System Performance Lab supervised by Prof. Kostas Triantis. Prior to that, I earned my M.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (2015), worked at ROKETSAN Missile Industries as a systems engineer on the HISAR Program, and earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the Middle East Technical University (METU, 2009). I am a member of the INCOSE, ASME, INFORMS, and the Design Society.