CPP Engineering Professor Receives IEOM Distinguished Educator Award
Shokoufeh Mirzaei, professor and chair of Cal Poly Pomona’s Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, received the 2026 Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM) Distinguished Educator Award.
Presented by IEOM Society International during the 3rd IEOM World Congress on Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial AI Innovation in Irvine, Oct 13-15, the award recognizes Mirzaei’s contributions to research, education, professional leadership and service to the industrial engineering and operations management community.
As chair, Mirzaei has led curriculum revisions in industrial engineering and manufacturing engineering to align the programs with advances in artificial intelligence, automation and data-driven manufacturing. She also led the development of CPP’s Master of Science degree in artificial intelligence in engineering program and the smart manufacturing minor, which is currently undergoing the university approval process.
Mirzaei is the principal investigator of two National Science Foundation awards that have advanced the department’s research and educational capabilities. One award supported the equipment for the department’s Vy and Tim Li Automation Lab with advanced robotics, smart sensors and automated production systems. The second is a $7.5 million NSF grant establishing the Center for Research Advancement in Smart Manufacturing, a national research center focused on robotics and automation, digital twins, extended reality and cybersecurity.
Through these initiatives, Mirzaei has expanded hands-on learning and research opportunities for CPP students while strengthening the university’s role in preparing the next generation of engineers for careers in advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and industrial automation.