Applied Operations Research 
Industrial and Systems Engineers build models of large systems. These include some of the most critical and complex systems in modern life, including power grids, oil and gas networks, supply chains, production, transportation, information, finance, healthcare, and government service systems. Our models use operations research, computing, and other quantitative tools to design, manage, and operate these systems—and to do so in ways that are efficient, effective, and safe.
Our models for systems and operations draw on all of the tools of ISE, from mathematical optimization to stochastic processes to algorithm design to simulation to data analytics. They provide opportunities for students and faculty to apply these methodological approaches to real-world systems that have an enormous impact on everyday life.
At Lehigh ISE, researchers are developing novel models, algorithms, computational methodologies, and theories to answer questions such as: How can electricity be dispatched in a power grid to minimize costs while maximizing reliability? How can trucks be routed through a supply chain to make on-time deliveries while reducing fuel consumption? How can transportation, water, and communication infrastructures be designed for resilience, and secured after a natural disaster? How can prison inmates be assigned to correctional facilities in ways that are efficient and fair, that increase safety, that adhere to legal restrictions, and that facilitate the rehabilitation of inmates?
Lehigh's research groups / institutes / programs: 
Institute for Data, Intelligent Systems, and Computation (I-DISC)
Institute for Cyber Physical Infrastructure & Energy (I-CPIE)