Watson Institute for Systems Excellence

The Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE) is an institute of advanced studies at Binghamton University. We have been working with industry on applied research for since May 1989.

In that time, we have become an internationally renowned, multifaceted, customer- focused organization assisting industry in a cost-competitive manner while concurrently enhancing the competitiveness of industry. Through WISE, master's and PhD graduate students as well as some undergraduate students come together with federal and industry sponsors to conduct innovative industry-based research. They not only attend graduate school, but also get the opportunity to earn real-life experience, to make invaluable contacts and to collaborate closely with distinguished faculty on cutting-edge research.

After we work with the sponsor to identify problems that are in their critical path, WISE students and faculty develop customized solutions to those problems, starting from the conceptual framework to a comprehensive implementation and follow-up analyses. The skill sets used vary from traditional industrial and systems engineering tools to advanced methodologies, and greatly depend on the nature of the problem.

• Testimonials

  We work hard to find cost-competitive ways to provide valuable research to businesses while offering graduate students a top-flight education.

  Krishnaswami Srihari, Dean and Distinguished Professor, Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science

  WISE provides a perfect blend of academic and business reality to prepare students well for their careers. It helps build a great network, and the experience adds significant credibility while applying for jobs. Corporations value such exposure, which is limited to few universities.

  Balakrishnan Iyer, '00, Chief Commercial Officer at Eos Energy Storage
  

  The "Industry-based research model" which WISE provides its students, is extremely helpful for the overall growth of the student, both technical and personal. I'm confident that the experience I gained through the WISE program will help me succeed in any environment.

  Sreekanth Ramakrishnan, '08, research sponsored by IBM Corp., Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

• Our history

  In 1990, the Electronics Manufacturing Research and Services (EMRS) group was established. It was later renamed in 2007 to the Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE) to better reflect the group's work and make it easier to expand into other fields.

• Funding
  • $2.5-$3 million annually
  • Over $50 million cumulative funds since 1989
  • Exceeded $1 million per year since 1999
  • $2-3 million annual funds from sponsors for the last five years
  • 25 long-term partners nationally & internationally
• Research numbers
  • 700+ contracts completed
  • 500+ Journal articles published
  • 250 annual research projects
  • 1750+ presentations made
  • 225+ dissertations / 450+ Theses advised
  • 1,650 industry reports
  • 900+ conference papers / 250+ posters
• Fast facts
  1. 81 research associates placed at industry partner locations.
  2. 20 to 25 research partners across the U.S., including Intelligent Automation, Raymond, Penguin/Smart Modular, Sanmina, GE, Cooper Health, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai, Navicent and UHS.
  3. More than 50 projects in industrial, medical and public service research areas including electronics manufacturing and packaging, healthcare systems, manufacturing engineering, systems simulation, productivity enhancement, small-scale systems and decision-support analysis.
• WISE advantage

  What sets the Institute apart from other research groups is that before any project is initiated, WISE works with the sponsoring organization to find out what they need. Teams immerse themselves in the sponsor's industry to learn what its critical pathways are and where its technical roadmaps are headed. Then, members review any challenges or obstacles that might hinder the sponsor's success and show how WISE research can help.

  Once a project has been awarded, individual students are assigned to the project or, if warranted, a team of graduate students is pulled together. However, whether the research project has one WISE RPA or many, the project team always includes faculty, who serve as mentors, and personnel from the sponsoring organizations, who help guide the project. Most research projects the Institute undertakes are long-term, and multiple projects are usually performed concurrently for any given sponsor.

  The WISE team has an unusually broad skill set, including experts in facility layout, systems simulation, process optimization and improvement, workflow modeling, supply chain management and information systems. This enables the Institute to tackle projects in areas ranging from electronics manufacturing and productivity enhancement to healthcare management and food distribution. And, when needed, WISE collaborates with other Binghamton University departments, widening the skill set even further.

Methodology

Research Areas

Business and data analytics

• Data Mining for predicting hospital re-admissions
• Dispatching optimization & demand signal analysis for a large-scale semiconductor testing environment
• Location-based analytics for forklift driver behavior analyses
• Machine learning approach for pathological cell detection    

Electronics manufacturing and packaging

• Design, assembly and reliability of next generation system on film (SOF) products
• Complex surface mount technology (SMT) assembly

Enterprise systems

• Lean transformation & manufacturing process improvements
• Enhancement of business process intelligence analysis

Healthcare systems engineering

• Simulation of CT-Scan Processes Clinical Pathway Modeling

Software systems engineering

• Migrating pharmacy workflow system to .Net platform

Supply-chain management and logistics

• Warehouse operations management
• Enhancing truck scheduling and fleet optimization
• Transport Management Systems (TMS) implementation and optimization for
  sequential loads
• Generating business plans & schedules for supplies

Simulation and Modeling

• Facility layout/staffing analysis
• Modeling operations and processes for improvement

Autonomous Systems

Energy Analytics

What makes a student WISE?

Do you know you can get an exceptional graduate education at Binghamton University without paying tuition? Sounds too good to be true? It is not. If you're accepted into the Graduate School at Binghamton and plan to study engineering, computer or systems science, physics, chemistry, math or management, you could be selected for the Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE) program as a Research Project Assistant (RPA). 

Full-time students accepted into WISE receive funding for graduate tuition, a stipend and medical insurance. In addition, the Institute provides students with whatever tools and materials they need to be successful. 

Students participating in WISE work at sponsor locations and take courses at Binghamton, either on campus or online.

Although a few sponsors are located in the Greater Binghamton area, most are not, so Institute students are based throughout the United States. Students may soon have the chance to work with international sponsors as well. But whatever their location, WISE students enjoy working in world-class laboratories where they learn how to conduct themselves in a professional environment, making presentations to sponsors and sometimes even serving as team leaders on projects.

A dedicated support network helps Institute students succeed. Each student is assigned a mentor, typically a senior graduate student, who serves as a resource for the new student along with faculty and staff members. When it’s time for WISE students to embark on their professional careers, this support network will include Institute alumni and other friends of the program who work with the graduate students, helping them prepare for their future in academia, research or industry.

• Pay no tuition for graduate school and earn money while studying
• Participate in innovative research projects that have real-world application
• Work closely with distinguished faculty
• Become well prepared to enter academia or industry
• Gain excellent references
• Get ahead of the competition by being hired by a sponsor
• Have tools and materials provided to you at no charge
• Be mentored by a faculty member or industry leader
• Enjoy the fellowship of other WISE students
• Network with WISE alumni

Students must apply to and be accepted into the Graduate School to be eligible for WISE research opportunities.

Interested students should contact the WISE director at wise@binghamton.edu. Cover letters and resumes and/or CV’s are required for the request for employment. 

Students are typically selected among the following areas (must hold a bachelor’s degree in this discipline):

• Business
• Chemistry
• Computer engineering
• Computer science
• Electrical engineering
• Industrial engineering
• Math
• Physics
• Systems engineering
• Systems science

Sponsors

Past projects

• Campus projects
  • Operational assessments of the Decker School of Nursing, Graduate School & Harpur College undergraduate advising
  • Modeling & simulations of campus ‘move in’ day & graduate student enrollment
  • Enrollment forecasting for Graduate Admissions workflow
  • Campus egress studies of vehicle flow for events & emergencies
  • Comparative studies of Oracle-based business systems versus web-based replacement options
  • Digitization study for the Registrar's Office academic records
  • Process flow, layout and ergonomic assessment studies for Undergraduate Admissions & ISSS Offices
  • COVID procedural testing for campus re-opening and continued surveillance.
• Partner projects
  • Applying location based informatics simulation and optimization methods to forklift driver behavior, congestion, and wireless charging studies sponsored by Toyota Material Handling North America.
  • Simulation modeling, reliability, and data analytics study in pharmacy automation sponsored by Innovation Associates.
  • Enhancement of contact center operations using mathematical modeling and simulation-based optimization sponsored by Xerox Company.
  • Optimization study of the multiple gantry surface mount placement machines in PCB assembly sponsored by Samsung Techwin.

Faculty and staff

Director

Mohammad T. Khasawneh

SUNY Distinguished Prof; Department Chair; Healthcare Systems Engineering / Health Systems / Manhattan Graduate Program Director; SUNY Distinguished Professor; Director

School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering; Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE)

mkhasawn@binghamton.edu

607-777-4408

EB R18

Founder

Krishnaswami Srihari

Dean

Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science

srihari@binghamton.edu

607-777-2871

EB T06

Faculty

Jia Deng

Assistant Professor

School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering

jiadeng@binghamton.edu

EB T10

Christopher M Greene

Associate Professor

School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering

cgreene@binghamton.edu

607-777-5081

EB R10

No profile found.

Sarah S. Lam

Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering Graduate Director

School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering

sarahlam@binghamton.edu

EB R16

Nagendra N. Nagarur

Professor

School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering

nnagarur@binghamton.edu

EB S05

Daryl Santos

SUNY Distinguished Service Professor

School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering

santos@binghamton.edu

607-777-4769

EB R12

Yong Wang

Associate Professor, Associate Department Chair

School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering

yongwang@binghamton.edu

607-777-3845

EB T3

Daehan Won

Associate Professor

School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering

dhwon@binghamton.edu

607-777-5024

EB R4

Sang Won Yoon

Professor

School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering

yoons@binghamton.edu

607-777-5935

EB S08

Staff

• Michele Giorgio, Project Staff Assistant - mgiorgio@binghamton.edu
• Len Poch, Consultant – lenpoch@gmail.com

Contact WISE

Physical Address

Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE)
Biotechnology Building, Suite 1600
65 Murray Hill Road
Vestal, NY 13850

Mailing Address

Watson Institute for Systems Excellence
Binghamton University
PO Box 6000
Binghamton, NY 13902-6000

Phone

(607) 777-5489

General email

How to find WISE

 WISE is located in the Innovative Technology Complex (ITC), east of Binghamton
 University’s main campus.

• Take NY Route-17 to Exit 70S for NY 201S toward Johnson City.
• Continue onto NY-201 South and use the left lane to take the New York 434 ramp.
• Merge onto NY-434 East (Vestal Parkway).
• After the main Binghamton University campus entrance, take a right onto Murray Hill Road (at light).
• In 1⁄4 mile, turn left into the ITC driveway. Smart Energy will be on your left.
• Continue to follow the road, past Lot J2, the COE building/fountain, the small Lot J1 and the BI Building that juts out on your left. (NYSEG will be on your right.)
• Turn left into Lot J, which is between the ES and BI buildings. A parking permit is required for all lots but parking for guests is available in specified spots. Metered parking is also available. • Enter the Biotechnology Building (BI) near its sign.
• Follow the hallway to the center pillars then take a left.
• Proceed to the last suite, 1600, on your right.