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Eileen M. Van Aken

Professor and Department Head

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ORCID:   orcid.org/0000-0002-8040-0973
ResearcherID:   E-8561-2010
Scopus ID:   160331-006579

Research Interests

Main Area:  Management & Systems Engineering

  • Performance measurement and management systems
  • Strategic management
  • Organizational change and process improvement
  • Lean work systems
  • Team-based  work systems

  • Ph.D., Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1995
  • M.S., Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1991
  • B.S., Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Virginia Tech, 1988  

  • Department Head, Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (2018-present)
  • Interim Department Head, Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (2016-18)
  • Associate Department Head and Undergraduate Program Director, Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (2006-16)
  • Assistant Department Head and Undergraduate Program Director, Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (2005-06)
  • Professor (2011-present)
  • Associate Professor (2003-11)
  • Assistant Professor (1996-2003) 

 

  • ISE 5015 Management of Change, Innovation, and Performance in Organizational Systems I
  • ISE 5016 Management of Change, Innovation, and Performance in Organizational Systems II
  • ISE 4015 Management Systems Theory, Analysis, and Design
  • ISE 4004 Theory of Organization
  • ISE 4984 Organizational Performance Measurement Systems
  • ISE 2044 Careers in ISE

  1. Harry, K.D, Van Aken, E.M., Glover, W.J. (in press). Advancing hospital operations with Kaizen events: A systematic literature review, Journal of Health Organization and Management, 1-22, https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-11-2024-0457 (Published online October 10, 2025).
  2. Harry, K.D., Van Aken, E.M., and Glover, W.J. (in press). A systematic literature review and meta-synthesis evaluation of the critical success factors for Kaizen events in hospitals, Engineering Management Journal, 1-23, https://doi.org/10.1080/10429247.2025.2504790 (Published online May 21, 2025).
  3. Alrezq, M. and Van Aken, E.M. (2025). Systematic literature review of lean management in local government organizations, International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 16(1), 1-24, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLSS-02-2022-0037.
  4. Keathley-Herring, H., Van Aken, E.M., and Letens, G. (2024) Implementing organizational performance measurement systems: Measures and success strategies, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 73(9), 2972-3007, http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-05-2023-0266.
  5. Henderson, K., McDermott, T., Van Aken, E., and Salado, A. (2023). Towards developing metrics to evaluate digital engineering, Systems Engineering, 26(1), 3-31, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/sys.21640.
  6. Moura, L.F., Pinheiro de Lima, E., Deschamps, F., Van Aken, E.M., Gouvea da Costa, S.E., Duarte, R., and Kluska, R.A. (2022). What role do design factors play in applying performance measurement systems in nonprofit organizations? Administrative Sciences, 12(2): 43, https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12020043.
  7. Soares, J., Letens, G., Vallet, N., Van Bockhaeven, W., Keathley-Herring, K., and Van Aken, E.M. (2022). The defence performance measurement framework: Measuring the performance of defence organizations at the strategic level, Defence Studies, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 99-122, https://doi.org/10.1080/14702436.2021.1994394.
  8. Smith, N.L., Grohs, J., and Van Aken, E.M. (2022). Comparison of transfer shock and graduation rates across engineering transfer student populations, Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 111, No. 1, pp. 65-81, https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20434.
  9. Smith, N.L. and Van Aken, E.M. (2020). Systematic literature review of persistence of engineering transfer students, Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 109, Issue 4, pp. 865-883. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20357.
  10. Moura, L.F., Pinheiro de Lima, E., Deschamps, F., Van Aken, E.M., Gouvea da Costa, S.E., Treinta, F.T., Cestari, J.M.A.P., and Silva, R.A. (2020). Factors for performance measurement systems design in nonprofit organizations and public administration, Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 377-399, https://doi.org/10.1108/MBE-10-2019-0102.
  11. Moura, L.F., Pinheiro de Lima ,E., Deschamps, F., Van Aken, E., Trienta, F., Gouvea da Costa, S., Treinta, F., and Cestari, J.M.  (2019). Designing performance measurement systems in nonprofit and public administration organizations, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 68, No.8, pp. 1373-1410, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-06-2018-0236.
  12. Cestari, J.M.P., Pinheiro de Lima, E., Deschamps, F., Van Aken, E.M., Trienta, F., and Moura, L.F.  (2018). A case study extension methodology for performance measurement diagnosis in nonprofit organizations, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 203, pp. 225-238, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2018.06.018.
  13. González-Aleu, F., Van Aken, E.M., Cross, J.A, and Glover, W. (2018). Continuous improvement projects within Kaizen: Critical success factors in hospitals, The TQM Journal, Vol. 30 No. 4, pp. 335-355, https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-12-2017-0175.
  14. González-Aleu, F. and Van Aken, E.M. (2017). Continuous improvement projects: An authorship bibliometric analysis, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 30, No. 5: 467-476, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-07-2016-0105.
  15. Greene, L., K.P. Ellis, Masel, D., Farrokhvar, L., Ogle, M. and Van Aken, E.M. (2016). A program to engage college students in the material handling and logistics industry, International Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 32, No. 6: 2543-2555.
  16. Keathley-Herring, H., Van Aken, E.M., González-Aleu, F., Deschamps, F., Letens, G., Cardenas Orlandini, P. (2016). Assessing the maturity of a research area: Bibliometric review and proposed framework, Scientometrics, Vol. 109, No. 2: 927-951, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-2096-x.

  1. Co-Principal Investigator, Application of Digital Engineering Measures; Sponsor: Systems Engineering Research Center (at Stevens Institute of Technology).
  2. Principal Investigator, Digital Engineering Measures; Sponsor: Systems Engineering Research Center (at Stevens Institute of Technology).
  3. Principal Investigator, Northrop Grumman Undergraduate Research Experiences in Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech; Sponsor: Northrop Grumman Corporation.
  4. Principal Investigator, Learning Organizations in High-Risk Environments: The Role of Leadership and Performance Measurement; Sponsor: Belgian Armed Forces.
  5. Principal Investigator, Collaborative Research: Determinants of Kaizen Event Success and Sustainability; Sponsor: National Science Foundation.
  6. Principal Investigator, Longitudinal Analysis of Customer Satisfaction Results for ITT Industries; Sponsor: ITT Industries.
  7. Principal Investigator, Assessment, Analysis, and Improvement of Danaher Enterprise Processes; Sponsor: Danaher.

  • Board of Directors, GENEDGE (Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program for Virginia) (2020-present)
  • President-elect, President, and Past President; Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (2022-25)
  • Chair-elect, Chair, and Past Chair, Council of Industrial Engineering Academic Department Heads (2019-22)
  • Senior Vice President-International, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (2016-19)
  • Co-Editor-in-Chief, Engineering Management Journal (published by the American Society for Engineering Management) (2012-18)
  • Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management (2005-present)
  • Technical Vice President and Member of Technical Operations Board, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (2012-15)
  • Technical Program Co-Chair, 2011 Industrial Engineering Research Conference, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (2010-11)
  • Technical Program Co-Chair, American Society for Engineering Management 2004 International Annual Conference (2004-04)
  • ABET Evaluator (2006-present)
  • U.S. Senate Productivity and Quality Award for Virginia, Chair (2002-04), Vice-Chair (2001-02), Board Member (2000-05), and Examiner (1998-2000)

  • Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (1986-present)
  • American Society of Engineering Management (2002-present)
  • Member, American Society for Engineering Education (1992-present)

  • Member, Academy of Faculty Leadership, Virginia Tech (2025)
  • Member, Academy of Faculty Service, Virginia Tech (2025)
  • Engineering Organization Advisor Award, Student Engineers Council, Virginia Tech (2020)
  • Dean’s Award for Excellence in Outreach, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech (2015)
  • Bernard R. Sarchet Award, American Society of Engineering Management (2014)
  • Frank B.W. Woodbury Special Service Award, American Society of Engineering Management (2014)
  • Fellow, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (2014)
  • Fred C. Crane Distinguished Service Award, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (2012)
  • Fellow, American Society for Engineering Management (2010)
  • Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech (2010)
  • Academy of Distinguished Alumni, Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech (2010)
  • Faculty Fellow, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech (2004-07)
  • Fellow, World Academy of Productivity Science (2001)