MIE Faculty Leadership at the Winter Simulation Conference
Faculty from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) played a prominent leadership role at the 2025 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC), the leading international conference on simulation research and practice.
This year’s conference theme, “Look to the Future! Simulation 2050 and Beyond,” invited the community to reflect on how the field has evolved and to explore emerging directions for the years ahead. MIE faculty took on multiple leadership roles to help drive these forward-looking discussions. In addition, several MIE faculty members and PhD students published peer-reviewed papers at the conference and presented their research.
Four MIE faculty members served as track chairs, underscoring the department’s strong and growing influence within the global simulation community:
- Alp Akcay – Track Chair, Manufacturing & Industry 4.0
- Mohammad ma– Track Chair, Simulation and Artificial Intelligence
- Tugce Martagan – Track Chair, Healthcare and Life Sciences
- Wei Xie – Track Chair, Uncertainty Quantification & Robust Simulation
In these roles, they oversaw the review and planning process for papers submitted to their tracks, helping shape a rigorous scientific program.
Consistent with the conference’s future-focused theme, MIE faculty also organized vision-setting panel sessions featuring leaders in the field. These sessions invited panelists and attendees to sketch research directions and emerging opportunities:
- Panel: Look to the Future! Simulation 2050 and Beyond
Session Chair: Mohammad Dehghani (MIE) - Panel: Future of Simulation in Manufacturing
Session Chair: Alp Akcay (MIE) - Panel: Advancing Simulation in Healthcare and Life Sciences – Future Research Directions
Session Chair: Tugce Martagan (MIE)
These conversations explored the future of simulation across sectors—from intelligent and automated manufacturing systems to AI-driven modeling, robust simulation methodologies, and next-generation healthcare applications.
MIE’s strong presence at WSC highlights the department’s commitment to advancing the science and practice of simulation. Through leadership roles and the facilitation of high-impact research and discussions, MIE faculty continue to shape the future of this rapidly evolving field.