Research Working Groups

The autonomy working group deals with fundamental and applied research on autonomous systems and controls aiming to enable greater autonomy for explorations of land, sea, air, and space. The applications of interest include mapping and navigation in extreme environments, robust planning, decision-making, and control for complex autonomous systems, data fusion of sensing systems, etc.

Our activities include research seminars and working lunches to facilitate the development of grant proposals and papers.

Faculties and researchers from all departments, working in the area of autonomous systems or dealing with any relevant problems, are welcome to join the group.

Interested? Contact Donghoon Kim, Ph.D.

The field of autonomous vehicle research brings together an exceptionally wide variety of disciplines. It touches on sensors, vehicle dynamics, artificial intelligence, robotics, human performance and behavior, modeling and simulation, high-performance computing, network communications, cybersecurity, infrastructure development, and others. The purpose of the autonomous vehicles working group is to bring together researchers to create complimentary relationships, leading to successful proposal submissions.

The autonomous vehicles group also brings in external speakers who are experts in an associated field in order to broaden the horizons of the working group beyond MSU’s campus.

Interested? Contact Matthew Doude.

Interested? Contact Jenny Q. Du, Ph.D.

Interested? Contact Raj Prabhu, Ph.D.

The purpose of this working group is two-fold: (1) To pursue research specific to body sensor networks (BSNs) and wearable technology within multiple business domains including but not limited to: repetitive motion tasks in package handling and manufacturing industries, athletics and sports motion, telemedicine, “prehab” and other physical therapy rehabilitation areas, military, and insurance. (2) To pursue studies in human performance and “athlete engineering” where golden standard equipment from the laboratory such as motion capture, force plates, wireless electromyography, swing analysis software, and more can be used to validate existing wearables solutions as well as aid in the invention of new solutions.

Interested? Contact Reuben Burch, Ph.D.

Interested? Contact LaShan Simpson, Ph.D.

Advances in various technologies have created a so called “digital age” in modern manufacturing. The term, “digital thread”, has been used to describe the common thread of information (both technical and non-technical) related to the design, manufacture, inspection, testing, and sustained use of products throughout their lifecycle. The creation, storage, security, and use of this information are the focus of numerous research initiatives in government, academia, and industry. Coordinated awareness of and involvement in such research initiatives by MSU faculty and staff interested in advanced manufacturing subject matter is essential. This was the fundamental philosophy on which a Bagley College of Engineering digital manufacturing working group was formed and continues to guide the working group’s professional initiatives going forward.

Interested? Contact Larry Dalton

The Engineering Education Working Group (ENE-WG) is an  is an interdisciplinary, productive working group that has membership at multiple faculty levels in all eight BCoE departments and two College of Education departments. The ENE-WG promotes a culture of innovation within the BCoE by pursuing external funding to improve engineering education at MSU, and by developing and implementing pedagogical innovations in BCoE classrooms. Additionally, many ENE-WG members serve as graduate faculty for the Engineering Education concentration of the Ph.D. in Engineering program.

Interested? Contact Jean Mohammadi-Aragh, Ph.D.

Interested? Contact Xiao-Ling Tong, Ph.D.

The Healthy Watersheds Working Group (HWWG) focuses its efforts on advancing and establishing research, education and demonstration projects in hydrology, geosciences, and biology, aimed to i) generate technical and scientific support for the assessment, management and protection of water and ecosystems quality; and, ii) to investigate and develop predictive models for pollutant cycling and the evaluation of impacts of urban, agricultural, and forest landscapes management. The working group will continue the active research efforts on the Red Bud‐Catalpa Creek Watershed at the Mississippi State University campus and the MAFES Experimental Station, among other sites.

Interested? Contact John Ramirez-Avila, Ph.D.

The purpose of the Materials Working Group is to bring together all research activities at Mississippi State University related to materials research. Since many departments, colleges and institutes are conducting materials research, this group facilitates the transfer of new ideas and permits the maximum utilization of shared resources. This home page serves the important function of helping interested parties in materials related research activities locate expertise at MSU via links to both researcher and research group home pages. In addition, a link indicating some of the capital equipment located on-campus to support these research activities is provided.

Interested? Contact Brenda Kirkland, Ph.D.

This working group focuses on a variety of projects involving multiple sensors, from medical imaging, remote sensing, advanced driver assistance systems, body wearable networks, to name a few. It is open to all researchers and students interested in problems requiring multiple sensors.

Interested? Contact John Ball, Ph.D.

For more information, please visit https://quantumcomputing.msstate.edu.

Interested? Contact Yaroslav Koshka, Ph.D.

Interested? Contact Cindy L. Bethel, Ph.D.

The Solid Mechanics Working Group is founded across several different units with faculty and researchers in areas including Aerospace Engineering, Ag and Bio Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics, Mechanical Engineering, and the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems. This group continually works to coordinate courses, research, and funding opportunities. Every year, we bring in  exceptional speakers in related areas of research to build networks with industry, national labs, and academic partners. This group also meets throughout the year to discuss the progress of predictive science in mechanics and materials. Our goal is to identify future trends and needs in the predictive science field involving different aspects of mechanics, material science, and transportation systems.

Interested? Contact Mark F. Horstemeyer, Ph.D.

Interested? Contact Hongjoo Rhee, Ph.D.

The Stream restoration Working Group (SRWG) aims to pursue research opportunities and leadership roles in generating technical and scientific findings in the field of stream restoration. This working group is also leading efforts to establish the Stream Restoration Program at the Bagley College of Engineering in Mississippi State University. We are searching on integrating a team of faculty, staff and students coordinating efforts to improve water quality and aquatic ecology in streams and wetlands through research, demonstration projects, and education. Research opportunities pursued by the SRWG are oriented to generate technical and scientific findings in the field of stream hydrology, stream hydraulics, stream ecology, and stream restoration. The working group will continue the active research efforts on the Red Bud‐Catalpa Creek Watershed at the Mississippi State University campus and the MAFES Experimental Station, among other sites.

Interested? Contact John Ramirez-Avila, Ph.D.