People

Faculty

Prof. Zoe Szajnfarber

I am a professor of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering (EMSE) and of International Affairs, affiliated with the Space Policy Institute (SPI) at the George Washington University. I currently serve as the inaugural Director of Strategic Initiatives for GW Engineering, after my term as Chair of the EMSE Department. I am also the Chief Scientist of the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), a DoD University Affiliated Research Center. I maintain research affiliations with the MIT Institute for Data Systems and Society (IDSS) and the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard (LISH), where I spent my sabbatical.

I have an interdisciplinary academic and professional background. I joined GW in 2011 after earning a PhD at MIT in Engineering Systems, dual MS degrees in Aeronautics & Astronautics and Technology & Policy, also from MIT, and an BASc in Engineering Science (specializing in aerospace) from the University of Toronto. Outside of Academia, I have worked as a system engineer in large (MDA Space Missions) and small (Dynacon Inc) space contractors and as an innovation advisor to NASA and ESA.

My research focuses on the design and development of complex systems in their socio-technical context. My group publishes across aerospace, systems, design, and management journals. Our work has been recognized by several best paper awards and competitive interdisciplinary grants from the NSF, including a $3M NRT and a $1M INSPIRE award. I currently serve as the Chair of the Council of Engineering Systems UNiversities (CESUN), have held associate/guest editor roles at several major journals and have served on the program committees of CESUN, TMP, IISE and ISA conferences, including serving as general chair for CESUN 2016 and TMP 2019.

I have developed and taught core courses at every level, and have also led several curriculum development efforts. I regularly teach (or taught) undergraduate foundations of system engineering courses (EMSE 1001/2801) masters level management of technical organizations (EMSE 6001) and doctoral lever research methods (EMSE 8000).

Research Team

Stephen Hilton received his B.S. and MS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of South Carolina, where he studied/developed technology for the automated repair of Advanced Air Mobility vehicles. His current research focuses on the interactions in human-AI teams

Bryce is a researcher at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human systems, holding a B.S. in Systems Engineering and Economics from the University of Virginia. His current research focuses on methods to embed advanced AI models into human workflows to support decision making, efficiency, and efficacy. In support of his research interests, he is a fellow in George Washington’s “Co-Design of Trustworthy AI Systems” program. His research motivations draw on insights from his professional experience as a consultant at Bain & Company. Outside of his academic pursuits, Bryce enjoys spending time in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes and baking sweets, unwinding with friends at a new local restaurant, and relaxing at a hot yoga class.

Chris Kreuger holds a B.S. in Engineering Management from the United States Military Academy, an MS in Project Management from Drexel University, and an MS in Operations Research from Northeastern University. She was commissioned into the United States Army in 2008 as an aviation officer. One of her first assignments was a Blackhawk pilot for the 82nd Airborne Division which included a deployment to Afghanistan. In 2015, she changed roles in the Army from a pilot to an Operations Researcher and Systems Analyst (ORSA). Chris' ORSA positions have included Assistant Professor at the United States Military Academy and Force Structure Analyst at the Center for Army Analysis.

Suparna Mukherjee is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Systems Engineering at George Washington University.  She received her Masters from Columbia University in Applied Physics, studying magnetic confinement fusion devices. She holds dual undergraduate degrees in Mathematics, from NYU; and in Mechanical Engineering, from the Steven's Institute of Technology. Outside of academia, Suparna has significant experience developing planetary spacecraft as a mechanical and payload systems engineer and a technology manager. Working within the private aerospace community as well as NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Space Flight Center, her work has included contributions to three landed missions to Mars. Her experiences in the commercial and civilian space industry motivate and inform her current research interests in complex system design, technology innovation and infusion processes.

Aditya Singh received his B.S. in Systems Engineering and Economics with a minor in History from The George Washington University. Currently, he is a Fellow on the university's National Science Foundation Research Traineeship "Co-Design of Trustworthy AI Systems," as well as an Affiliate of the Trustworthy AI in Law & Society NSF Institute and a Member of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. Prior his PhD, Aditya worked in the aerospace industry, with positions at Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems. Additionally, he worked at CNA, a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) affiliated with the United States Navy.

Sarah holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago. Her doctoral research focuses on how AI-enabled system design factors shape reliance on AI outputs in critical decision contexts. She brings over a decade of experience applying AI across defense, intelligence, and commercial sectors, with a focus on implementing technical solutions for mission impact and prioritizing responsible AI practices. Her background includes service as a U.S. Army Reserve intelligence officer, work as a data scientist at the CIA, and most recently she was a Responsible AI Engineer (Forward Deployed) at Palantir Technologies.

Michael comes from a background in law (Northwestern Pritzker’s School of Law, MSL), design (MIT Sloan School of Management, cert.), ethical philosophy and religious studies (Durham University, Ph.D.), and continued education through the NYU Bridge Program in Computer Engineering, and University of Alaska's Fairbank, GIS program. Michael has held fellowships and lectureships at Yale, Harvard Divinity School’s Center for the Study of World Religions, and the Département de Philosophie at l’École normale supérieure, Paris. Michael was the recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt award, spending three years at Universität Tübingen in the Institute für antikes Judentum und hellenistische Religionsgeschichte. He was also elected a senior fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies at Corvinus University in Budapest, Hungary. Prior to coming to GWU, Michael was a Research Scholar for Responsible Tech, Innovation, and Policy at Princeton University. While in Zoe's lab, Michael will be working on comparative risk mitigations in high risk industries as an instructive model for A.I. policy guidance. His research will focus on dimensionalizing deterrence through automated weapons systems and energy resilience. 

Shweta Mulcare received her BS in Physics and MS in Systems Engineering from The George Washington University. She currently serves as the Director for Data Science Futures at SAIC. Prior to joining SAIC, Shweta worked at MITRE for over a decade, holding numerous positions, most recently serving as Outcome Lead of the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) and Advanced Analytics Evolution team. Her research is focused on how complex engineered systems are certified for safety.

Jason Crusan received Bachelor's Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics, and a Master's in Computer Information Systems from Cleveland State University. His research focus is understanding how open innovation can be utilized to support the design of complex systems. Outside of academia, he holds the current position of Vice President Technology at Woodside Energy in Perth Australia. Previously he spent over 20 years at NASA with his last position being the Director, Advanced Exploration Systems Division for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. Crusan was previously the Director for the Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation, a virtual center of excellence that enables the acceleration of U.S. Government implementation of new models of problem solving using collaborative innovation methodologies such as crowd sourcing and open innovation to meet agency requirements.

Doctoral Alumni

Former Research Assistants

Several B.S. and MS students have also spent time working on research in SzajnLab

• Hrafnhildur Nielsen, MS 2022, Risk Management Specialist, Arion Bank

• Joshua Groover, BS 2021, First Lieutenant, US Marine Corps

• Lydia Zhang, (MIT) MS 2020, Technical Program Manager, Google DeepMind

• Anna Wieger, MS 2020, Aerospace Consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton

• Victoria Nilsen, BS 2019, Operations Research Analyst, NASA

• Connor Forsythe, BS 2018, Decision Scientist, The Walt Disney Company

• Anthony Wicht, post-MS, Partner, Bain & Company

• Amanda Rohrbach, (MIT) MS 2013

• Erik Stockham, (MIT) MS 2012, Colonel, US Air Force