NSF ADVANCE Professorships :: Jane Chumley Ammons

JANE CHUMLEY AMMONS NSF ADVANCE Professor of Engineering

Research Activities
Ammons’ research targets the design and operation of systems in order to maximize their effectiveness and efficiency. Her main focus is manufacturing and logistic system problems from diverse industries and areas, developing mathematical models and algorithms to yield theoretical results and practical implementations.

Current and planned research projects include collaborations on the design and growth of international supply chains, reverse production systems to facilitate the reuse and recycling of used products, and computer-based "virtual factory" learning modules for engineering students. The goal is to acquire fundamental understanding of production and logistic system infrastructure and operation, and to use this knowledge to develop quantitative tools that facilitate better planning in the face of significant uncertainty.

ADVANCE Activities
Ammons plans to facilitate networks of faculty women in the College of Engineering (CoE) to enhance support, ideas and advancement opportunities. She is interested in studying the methods some schools have used for attracting, retaining and promoting women, and then expanding these practices to improve the success of all of the engineering schools. Ammons aims to work with faculty and administrators to advance women in CoE as follows:

A. Define and prioritize needs and opportunities for women in CoE. Create an ongoing dialog with women faculty, school directors, the Dean and associate deans, women graduate and undergraduate students, and leaders of existing programs for women.

B. Survey relevant research such as earlier Georgia Tech and CoE studies on the status of women, academic research and comparative analyses of peer universities and national organizations.

C. Develop and implement a strategic plan for the advancement of women in CoE, targeting long-term success and sustainable impact.

D. Create, or better develop, professional networks for women engineering faculty at the national level, seeking funding from corporations and foundations, if necessary,

E. Write about her own experiences as a woman in engineering, documenting ideas, advice to younger women, and thoughts on sustaining and advancing women.

Related Websites
Ammons’ Biography (http://www.isye.gatech.edu/people/profile.php?id=1349)
Georgia Tech College of Engineering School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (http://www.isye.gatech.edu/)