pdf version - seng, hkust

Empowering Excellence
52
Department
of Industrial
Engineering
and Logistics
Management
As our name suggests, the Department of Industrial Engineering
and Logistics Management has two major focuses. Over the
past three years, we have continued to develop both these
areas, achieving high international recognition and global
rankings.
In the mid-1990s, our department was the first in Hong Kong to
introduce a logistics management degree to fulfill the city’s need
for professionals and research input as a global logistics hub.
Engineering management is another key aspect of our work
given China’s global position as the world’s factory.
Although our undergraduates choose to focus on either logistics
management or industrial engineering, core courses overlap,
enabling them to seek work in both fields and the business
sector. Such flexibility should be enhanced under the revised
curriculum for the new, four-year undergraduate degree
program. We have also been promoting the outcome-based
education approach for courses.
As part of our drive for continuous improvement, the
Department has established a new interdisciplinary option in
design and marketing in collaboration with the Department of
Marketing at HKUST Business School. Another interdisciplinary
program in financial engineering is also under preparation and
we have employed two faculty members to assist with this
development.
Our research has continued to be successful in gaining funding,
as our Research Highlights show. In addition, senior colleagues
have been involved in industrial interaction, technology transfer
and human resource development, in particular at the Zhejiang
Advanced Manufacturing Institute (ZAMI) of HKUST, which
tackles projects and offers research opportunities on Mainland
China issues. During the period under review, ZAMI worked
with the local government in Zhejiang Province to organize a
well-received corporate leadership training program for mainland
manufacturing industry leaders.
In my four years as Head of Department, I have initiated
a postgraduate student association to enhance research
interaction and social life and made outreach to our alumni
a specific goal. Although we are still a relatively young
department, our alumni have made strides in their careers
and have much to share with our current students and faculty.
In addition, my own research is focused on quality and I am
interested in after sales!
With the building up of the alumni network, we have found
student internships and industrial support much easier to obtain.
We have enriched our mentorship program with participation
rising to 120 by 2011-12. Meanwhile, alumni in top universities
overseas and in China, have helped us to build up our academic
networks. This is important to keep us at the forefront of
developments in Asia and beyond.
One highly positive characteristic of our Department is the close
links our professors maintain with graduates who are starting
out in academia. Such mentoring applies to junior faculty joining