The Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign hosted the 3rd Annual ISE Student Conference on Friday, April 24, 2026, at the Illini Union. This year’s theme, “Data-Driven Intelligent Systems: From Modeling to Impact,” highlighted how students and researchers used data, technology, optimization and machine learning to solve complex real-world problems across healthcare, manufacturing, finance, operations and beyond.
The conference brought together students, faculty and researchers for a full day of presentations and networking. Throughout the day, students presented research spanning data analytics, healthcare technology, operations research, human factors, financial engineering, manufacturing, and intelligent decision systems, showcasing the broad impact of ISE research.
This year’s keynote speakers were Professor Nagi Gebraeel of Georgia Tech and Professor Navid Azizan of MIT, two internationally recognized researchers working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, optimization, and intelligent systems. Gebraeel, who leads Georgia Tech’s Predictive Analytics and Intelligent Systems Research Group, discussed emerging applications of federated learning for distributed industrial systems. His research focuses on improving reliability and decision-making in complex systems ranging from manufacturing networks to power grids and aerospace applications. Azizan, an assistant professor at MIT with appointments in Mechanical Engineering and the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, presented research on building reliable data-driven intelligent systems. His work explores how machine learning, control systems, and optimization can create safer and more trustworthy AI systems for real-world applications.
The conference concluded with an evening poster session and networking reception, giving attendees the opportunity to connect with fellow researchers and continue conversations sparked throughout the day. Organized by ISE graduate students, Duo Lin, Emre Eraslan, and Harris Nisar the annual conference continued to grow as a welcoming space for innovation and community within the department.
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