Mr. Partha Sarker is a doctoral candidate at the University of South Alabama. He successfully defended his PhD dissertation in Systems Engineering at the University. He recently led a research project in critical infrastructure interdependency studies based on post-disaster infrastructure recovery data. He has published a peer-reviewed journal article in Infrastructures (MDPI) and a peer-reviewed conference paper in IISE Annual Conference and Expo 2018. He has completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of South Alabama. In addition to his doctoral studies, he is currently employed as an electrical engineer at an engineering consulting firm, Gulf States Engineering, Inc. His research interests are centered on critical infrastructure interdependencies, post-disaster infrastructure recovery, natural disasters, disaster-prone areas, and critical infrastructure resiliency.
Dr. Bhushan Lohar is an Assistant Professor in Systems Engineering at the University of South Alabama (USA). He is a President of the INCOSE Blues Chapter and faculty advisor of the INCOSE student division at the USA. He has over 10 years of experience combining the automobile and aerospace industry, working on systems engineering, research and development, project management, and quality management. His research interests include MBSE, model-based patterns, space systems engineering, SysML modeling and simulation, and model-based machine learning and artificial intelligence. He received his B.Tech. from MIT India, MS from the University of Texas Arlington, and Ph.D. from the University of South Alabama.
Dr. Sean Walker is an Associate Professor and the Program Coordinator for Systems Engineering at the University of South Alabama. Dr. Walker received a BASc in Chemical Engineering and a MASc and PhD in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo. Dr. Walker’s research interest includes simulations and decision models for renewable energy sources within the current electrical grid. They have published 32 journal articles and numerous conference proceedings and book chapters in the areas of life cycle analysis, industrial ecology, sociotechnical systems, operational research, game theory, and decision analysis, and engineering education. Dr. Walker's teaching interests include risk and failure, sociotechnical systems, and engineering statistics.
Dr. Stephanie Patch is an Associate Professor of Coastal Engineering at the University of South Alabama with expertise in the interactions between civil infrastructure and morphological changes on barrier islands during tropical cyclones and sea level rise. She is also the owner of Coastal Zone Engineers, LLC, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Alabama. Dr. Patch received her BSCE (2010) and MSCE (2012) from Georgia Tech and her PhD (2016) from Virginia Tech, and she has nearly 15 years of experience as a coastal engineer. Dr. Patch developed “adaptation pathways” for barrier island communities in New Jersey and Alabama as responsive planning tools for adapting to sea level rise and future storms. She served on reconnaissance missions with the National Science Foundation to survey damage in communities by hurricanes and tornadoes. Dr. Patch was part of a team to develop Sea Level Rise in the Classroom curricula for high school teachers located along the Northern Gulf Coast. Dr. Patch has earned several awards, including the Andy and Carol Denny National Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award (2021) and the Gulf Research Early-Career Faculty Fellowship (2020). She is a member of many organizations, including the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and serves as the faculty advisor for the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) student chapter at the University of South Alabama.
Dr. John Wade is a fire protection engineer and partner at Gulf States Engineering, Inc. Dr. Wade is also an adjunct professor in Systems Engineering at the College of Engineering at the University of South Alabama. He has 29 years of experience in the design of mechanical and fire protection systems for heavy industry. His research interests include fire protection systems, project engineering, decision analysis, and firefighting tactics. Dr. Wade holds a patent for advanced wildfire fighting systems.
