Our Intelligent Engineered Systems and Society (IESS) focus area addresses pressing global issues such as climate change and urbanization through intelligent and autonomous infrastructure systems. IESS coursework and research focus on integrating the built, natural, and digital environments to analyze and respond to challenges efficiently, autonomously, and sustainably. Our focus is on enhancing society's adaptability through autonomous systems that analyze and respond to these issues.
IESS prioritizes system design, data-driven analysis, and autonomous decision-making while also addressing potential biases and inequities from automation and the data revolution. Responsible engineering practices, including privacy-focused technology integration, are key components of our approach.
Our interdisciplinary programs and research incorporate advancements in smart sensors, big data, computing, AI, and systems engineering to improve infrastructure design, operation, and management. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, we promote sustainability, livability, and resilience.
IESS education
Students will gain skills to innovate in fields such as smart infrastructure, climate adaptation, smart cities, Industry 4.0, advanced manufacturing, environmental justice, intelligent transportation, hydroinformatics, and digital twins.
Our interdisciplinary approach welcomes students from various backgrounds, including mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and public policy. Collaboration among students and faculty from diverse fields is central to our program.
Working with your faculty mentor, you'll customize your coursework to match your academic and career goals, allowing for both broad exploration and specialized focus in key areas.
IESS students can specialize in one of two tracks:
- Design, Construction, and Infrastructure Management: Focuses on improving design and construction processes for adaptive infrastructure systems through digital transformation and autonomous technologies.
- Dynamical Infrastructure System Operation: Emphasizes the operation of intelligent infrastructure systems, covering embedded systems, AI, dynamic systems theory, and control to foster interconnectedness between environments.
View recommended courses for a focus in intelligent engineered systems and society.
IESS graduates find careers in diverse roles, including:
- Big data engineer
- Systems engineer
- Autonomous vehicle and transportation engineer
- Digital transformation consultant
- AI data analyst
- Hydroinformatics engineer
- Energy analyst
- Industry 4.0 project manager
- Software engineer
- Renewable energy engineer
- Smart city analyst
- Construction manager
- National lab engineer
- Digital twin and reality capture engineer
Ready to pursue an education in IESS? Apply today
IESS research
Example research projects
Habitats Optimized for Missions of Exploration (HOME)
Funded by NASA's Space Technology Research Institute, this project looks to enhance the reliability of environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) that are crucial for deep space missions, including those to Mars. Over four years, the project has focused on using digital twins for fault diagnosis and prediction, essential for ensuring mission success and the safety of astronauts.
Faculty: Burcu Akinci, Mario Bergés
Artificial Intelligence-Driven Predictive Maintenance Using Digital Twin Technologies
This research project develops and deploys digital twin technologies to drive proactive, intelligent maintenance for military aviation assets. In partnership with multiple universities and U.S. Army personnel, this work supports the integration of AI with physics-based models capable of predicting equipment failures and underlying problems across fleets of sensitive—and critical—assets.
Faculty: Katherine A. Flanigan, Mario Bergés
Risk Monitoring of Civil Infrastructures Using Correlated Change Patterns in Spatiotemporal Data
This project aims to revolutionize risk analysis in aging civil infrastructure by using diverse spatiotemporal data to predict defects and structural collapse. Researchers will create an automated procedure for data-driven change analysis with wide-ranging applications. Its results promise significant economic and societal advantages, fostering global collaborations in risk analysis. The research will empower workforces to manage diverse data for infrastructure maintenance, with a focus on engaging underrepresented groups through education.
Faculty: Pingbo Tang
Development of Cyber-Physical Systems for Monitoring and Managing Railroad Assets
CEE is well-known for its expertise in machine learning for infrastructure health monitoring. Using this technology, researchers are developing an onboard monitoring system using AI to detect broken rails. Anticipating decreased derailments and improved safety, our work enables trains to self-diagnose broken rails in near real-time, leading to significant industry-wide savings and capacity boosts for rail networks.
Faculty: Katherine Flanigan, Mario Bergés
Development of Cyber-Physical-Social Systems for Achieving Human-Centered Infrastructure Benefits
For decades, cyber-physical systems (CPSs) have revolutionized infrastructure design and management by integrating sensing, computing, and control. However, the current CPS paradigm focuses primarily on achieving economic goals like efficiency and safety, neglecting potential human-centered benefits. This project aims to uncover and utilize the untapped social benefits of infrastructure systems. By addressing existing gaps and challenges, it lays the groundwork for a new field focused on integrating social objectives into CPS theory.
Faculty: Katherine Flanigan
SHADE: Surface Heat Assessment for Developed Environments
This project focuses on understanding and mitigating extreme heat waves in US urban areas. It investigates complex interactions exacerbating these events, aiming to develop models improving physical and probabilistic understanding of urban heat hazards. By combining deterministic and probabilistic modeling, it seeks to provide more accurate predictions and risk assessments, benefiting both the scientific community and urban planners.
Faculty: Mario Bergés, Matteo Pozzi
IESS faculty
Mario Bergés
Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Courtesy Appointment
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Donald Coffelt, P.E.
Associate Vice President
Facilities Management & Campus Services
Adjunct Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Susan Finger
Associate Dean
Integrative Design Arts & Technology (IDeATe)
Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Destenie Nock
Assistant Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy
