2026 President's Message to the Council

Hear from Andy Chen, 2025-2026 SYSC President
5 months 2 weeks ago
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2026 pres

As we commence the new year, it is an opportune moment to reflect upon our collective accomplishments, acknowledge the challenges that lie ahead, and establish a strategic trajectory for our community of systems engineers, researchers, educators, and practitioners.

The past year has unequivocally demonstrated the increasing significance of systems engineering and systems science in addressing contemporary challenges. The escalating complexity of modern problems reinforces the critical need for the interdisciplinary and holistic approach that characterizes our community.

At the year's outset, we established an ambitious agenda encompassing not only the organization of our three flagship conferences across North America, Europe, and Asia, but also the coordination of a comprehensive year-end event that incorporated our 20th Anniversary Celebrations, the Global Chapter Summit, Fall AdCom meetings, and IEEE RASSE 2025. I am pleased to report that these initiatives were carried out with considerable success.

Our community has experienced substantial growth throughout the past year. Our Member Societies expanded from 20 to 23, while our membership increased significantly from 44,000 at the beginning of the year to 71,000 by year's end. These metrics reflect the growing recognition of the value and relevance of our field.

These achievements would not have been possible without the exemplary leadership and unwavering dedication of our volunteer community. It is my privilege to extend sincere congratulations to the following distinguished individuals who will assume new leadership positions in 2026:

  • Steven Li, President-elect
  • Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban, Vice President of Education (newly approved position)
  • Shiyan Hu, Vice President of Technical Operations (succeeding Andre Oboler)
  • Teo Tee Hu, Treasurer (succeeding Steven Li)
  • Windhya Rankothge, Chair of Women in Systems Engineering (succeeding Somayeh Sojoudi)
  • Ruqiang Yan, Editor-in-Chief of Systems Journal (succeeding Amir Aghdam)
  • Min Xie, Chair of Fellow Evaluation Committee (succeeding Steven Butler)
  • Amir Aghdam, Chair and Junbo Zhao, Co-Chair of Distinguished Lecturer Committee (succeeding Peirangela Samarati)
  • Sagar Bhaskar, Chair of Online Distinguished Lecturer Subcommittee (succeeding Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban)

 

Significant work remains. We will continue strengthening our technical committees and expanding collaboration across IEEE societies. Engaging the next generation of systems engineers and attracting diverse talent remain strategic priorities, as does enhancing the practical impact of systems research through deeper academia-industry integration.

The Systems Council's strength depends upon active member engagement. I encourage you to contribute through research submissions, manuscript reviews, technical committee participation, mentorship of emerging professionals, and attendance at our events. Every contribution enhances our collective success.

I look forward to our continued collaboration in advancing systems engineering and systems science globally. 

Andy Chen

President 2025-2026, IEEE Systems Council