The Tickle College of Engineering draws outstanding students to the University of Tennessee through an array of attractive elements. For some it might be UT’s reputation for competitive research excellence; for others it might be a deep connection to the Volunteer tradition.

Shima Mohebbi, a PhD student in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE), set her sights on the college after doing some careful investigation. She discovered a faculty member whose focus matched her own.

“I read an interesting paper by my current advisor, Dr. Xueping Li,” she said. “I checked out his personal website to get more information about his research projects, his graduate students, and their research/thesis titles. This encouraged me to apply at UT for my PhD studies.”

Li remains a strong influence for Mohebbi.

“His proactive and enthusiastic attitude in pursuing research projects always inspires me,” she said.

Mohebbi was born and grew up in Tehran, Iran. She undertook her earlier graduate studies at K.N. Toosi University of Technology and the University of Tehran. There, she earned the National Outstanding Student award in 2009, and was honored by the president.

She has continued to earn accolades since joining the UT community. In 2013, Mohebbi received the Chancellor’s Extraordinary Professional Promise award in recognition of her academic and research achievements. In 2014, she received a Graduate Student Senate (GSS) travel award to attend the Industrial and Systems Engineering Research Conference (ISERC) in Montreal, Canada, and presented two papers in an invited session. She was also recently announced as a finalist for the prestigious Gilbreth Memorial Fellowship from the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) for 2014-2015.

The recognition Mohebbi has received reflects her enthusiasm for her chosen area.

“Due to my interest in applying mathematical approaches to real-world problems and industries, I chose the field of industrial and systems engineering,” she said. “I work on optimization techniques, simulation, and game theory with application in supply networks and healthcare systems.”

Mohebbi enjoys classes that offer a balanced focus on both theoretical approaches and practical implementation, such as Li’s Advanced Information Systems Analysis and Design and Dr. Oleg Shylo’s Stochastic Programming. Likewise, she likes projects that allow her to practice applying techniques in the field.

“The project I did for IE526, Advanced System Modeling and Simulation, has been the most exciting one,” she said. “It provided the opportunity to work with College of Nursing students in a multidisciplinary environment.”

Mohebbi has published extensively on her research, including one edited book, four book chapters, eight peer-reviewed journal papers, and fourteen referred conference papers.

“My main goal is to pursue my on-going research project in a bi-directional manner— theory and application,” said Mohebbi. “Attending conferences and scientific events for sharing knowledge is my secondary goal, enabling me to develop professional connections and reinforce research ideas in the dynamic field of industrial engineering.”

As part of meeting these goals and developing connections, Mohebbi serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Applied Logistics and as a reviewer for the International Journal of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. She also served as a guest reviewer in IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics and Expert Systems with Application.

Recently, Mohebbi was invited by the graduate school to serve on a panel of three experienced graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) during the new GTA orientation. She gave a talk on the perspective of international students as GTAs.

In addition to her engineering studies, Mohebbi enjoys playing the piano, sometimes visiting a practice room in the UT School of Music. She also likes to get outdoors for biking and fishing. She says the atmosphere in the ISE department contributes to her ability to keep pace with such a full roster of activities.

“My favorite experience about the ISE department, as a part of the TCE, is its flexible environment,” she said. “Indeed, it enables students to choose their research topic/project while they benefit from support and advice from the faculty leading to move on the right track.”

Once she achieves her PhD, Mohebbi plans to stay on that track, exploring opportunities to make positive change through an ISE approach.

“I expect my professional career to converge in a scholarly environment so that the obtained results of my research efforts can be applied for solving industrial and service sectors’ real problems,” she said.