Jerrell Stracener

The Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University will serve as a designated research collaborator in the Systems Engineering Research Center, or SERC, the first University Affiliated Research Center funded by the Department of Defense to focus on challenging systems engineering issues facing the defense department and related defense industries.

SMU Lyle School of Engineering, with Jerrell Stracener as lead senior researcher, will participate as part of a prestigious consortium of 18-leading collaborator universities and research centers throughout the United States, led by Stevens Institute of Technology, with the University of Southern California serving as its principal collaborator.

“This award is a major recognition of Stevens Institute of Technology’s leadership, consolidated during the last decade, in the field of Complex Systems Engineering,” said Dinesh Verma, dean of Stevens’ School of Systems & Enterprises, and executive director of the Systems Engineering Research Center.

SERC will be responsible for systems engineering research that supports the development, integration, testing and sustainability of complex defense systems, enterprises and services. SERC will serve as the systems engineering research engine for the Department of Defense and intelligence community. It will also offer systems engineering programs and workshops for Department of Defense and intelligence community employees and contractors.

“As a key partner in this national consortium, we are pleased to have the opportunity to expand our contributions to this country in systems engineering education and research through the linkage of the Lyle Systems Engineering Program with SMU’s Caruth Institute for Engineering Education and its one of a kind Lockheed Martin Skunk Works&reg Lab,” said Geoffrey Orsak, dean of the Lyle School of Engineering.

SMU Lyle School of Engineering’s Systems Engineering Program has long been recognized for providing work-place relevant education and research to the nation’s aerospace and defense community, both industry and government.

The SEP was developed and continues to evolve under the leadership of Stracener, SEP founding director, in partnership with government agencies and aerospace and defense companies.

The Lyle School of Engineering’s system engineering research program is being driven by needs of aerospace and defense systems developers, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Bell Helicopter, Elbit Systems and L-3 Communications. A doctoral program is being expanded in response to needs of the United States aerospace and defense sector, both industry and government.