Faculty

Background

Shahram Sarkani, Ph.D., P.E., is a Professor of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, and Faculty Adviser and Academic Director of SEAS Online Programs (since 2001). Professor Sarkani joined the GW faculty in 1986. His previous administrative appointments include chair of the Civil, Mechanical, and Environmental Engineering Department (1994-1997) and Interim Associate Dean for Research, School of Engineering and Applied Science (1997-2001).

In over 500 technical publications and presentations, his research in systems engineering, systems analysis, and applied enterprise systems engineering has application to risk analysis, structural safety, and reliability. He has conducted sponsored research with such organizations as NASA, NIST, NSF, U.S. AID, and the U.S. Departments of Interior, Navy, and Transportation.

Recent Awards:

• Engineering Management Journal’s Ted Eschenbach Best EMJ Journal Paper Award, 2010 (with Merritt & Mazzuchi)
• Inducted into the Civil and Environmental Engineering Hall of Distinction, Louisiana State University, 2010
• Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize, American Society of Civil Engineers, 1999

Professor Sarkani holds the Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Rice University, and B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from Louisiana State University. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Virginia.

Background

Thomas Mazzuchi, D.Sc., received a B.A. in Mathematics from Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA; and an M.S. and a D.Sc., both in Operations Research from George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Before taking on his current faculty and administrative appointments at GW, he served as Chair of the Department of Operations Research, and as Interim Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Dr. Mazzuchi has been engaged in consulting and research in the areas of reliability and risk analysis and systems engineering techniques for over 25 years. He served for two and a half years as a research mathematician at the international operations and process research laboratory of the Royal Dutch Shell Company. While at Shell, Dr. Mazzuchi was involved with reliability and risk analysis of large processing systems, maintenance optimization of off-shore platforms, and quality control procedures at large-scale chemical plants.

In his academic career, he has held research contracts in development of testing procedures for both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army, in spares provisioning modeling with the U. S. Postal Service, in mission assurance with NASA, and in maritime safety and risk assessment with the Port Authority of New Orleans, the Washington Office of Marine Safety, Washington State Department of Transportation, and the San Francisco Bay Area Transit Authority.

Recent Awards:

• Elected Member: International Statistics Institute; Washington Academy of Sciences
• Leo Schubert Award for Excellence in Teaching of Science in College, 1997

Background

Dr. Raymond Chow is a lecturer for the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the George Washington University. He has over 20 years of industry experience designing, developing, and sustaining systems for various federal, DoD, and international programs. Dr. Chow serves as the General Manager of the San Diego site for Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems and is the Project Engineering Manager responsible for C6ISR Global Sustainment West Coast Operations. He has worked with numerous organizations including the Census Bureau, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air Force, Navy, and foreign militaries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.

Dr. Chow holds a D.Eng. in Engineering Management and a M.S. in Systems Engineering from the George Washington University. He also holds a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Florida.

Background

John L. Dargan, Ph.D., is Director of the Operations and Requirements Analysis Division in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate. He leads operations research, modeling, systems analysis, and simulation efforts in support of the DHS Components and the Joint Task Forces. He is the S&T Principal for the DHS Joint Requirements Council, for the Headquarters Coordination Group for Resource Planning Guidance development, and for the Strategy and Policy Executive Steering Committee.

Before accepting his current position, Dr. Dargan was a career United States Air Force officer assigned to various engineering, acquisition, and staff duties that culminated with his appointment as Chief, Investment Programs Division, USAF Headquarters Congressional Budget Liaison. In that role he was the principal interface to Congressional Appropriations and Budget Committees for programs including the F-22, Joint Strike Fighter, and Next-Generation Bomber.

Dr. Dargan earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Clemson University, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from George Washington University.

Recent Awards:

• DHS Under Secretary’s Award for Science and Technology, 2016
• DHS Under Secretary’s Award for Building Partnerships, 2014

Background

Prof Duke is an adjunct Professor for the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the George Washington University located in Washington DC. Prior to joining the College of Information and Cyberspace at the National Defense University as an Associate Professor of Cyber Security located at Ft. McNair, Washington DC. as a faculty, Prof Duke served over 28 years in the U.S. Army, within U.S. Signal Corps Communication and Electronics. Prof Duke was also a Joint Duty Officer with the National Security Agency as an Information Systems Security Engineer (ISSE) while supporting the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), National Security Agency (NSA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), DoD Joint Staff, and the many organizations within the Intelligence Community (IC), and numerous Non-DoD agencies.

Prof Duke’s areas of expertise include Information Assurance & Information Security, Network Engineering & Network Security, Cyber Security, Certification & Accreditation (C&A) and or Risk Management & Compliance, Emerging Technologies, and Fiber Optics & Wireless Systems and Telecommunications. Prof Duke also holds many Professional Certifications as a Cyber Professional. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering with George Washington University.

Background

Amir Etemadi is associate professor of engineering and applied science at The George Washington University. Dr. Etemadi joined the Electrical Engineering department at GW in 2013 and the SEAS Online program in 2017. He has conducted research in control and operation of renewable energy systems, design and development of microgrids, and optimization and reliability of power systems. He is currently conducting research into the study and analysis of geomagnetic disturbances and their impacts on power system operation, sponsored by the National Science Foundation. His research publications appear in a variety of journals such as IEEE Transaction on Power System, Power Delivery, Industrial Electronics, Smart Grids, Journal of Energies, and Electric Power System Research. He has taught courses on electrical engineering fundamentals, advanced power system and power electronic topics, reliability, and probability and statistics. Dr. Etemadi has received his BSc from University of Tehran (2005), MSc from Sharif University of Technology (2007), and Ph.D. from University of Toronto (2012), in Electrical Engineering. He is a member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Publications:

• A. Rezaei-Zare, A. H. Etemadi, and R. Iravani, “Challenges of power converter operation and control under ferroresonance conditions,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Oct. 2016, accepted for publication.
• Z. Yi and A. Etemadi, “Fault detection for photovoltaic systems based on multi-resolution signal decomposition and fuzzy inference systems,” IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, Jul. 2016, accepted for publication.
• A. Alqurashi, A. H. Etemadi, and A. Khodaei, “Treatment of uncertainty for next generation power systems: State-of-the-art in stochastic optimization,” Electric Power Systems Research, vol. 141, pp. 233 – 245, Dec. 2016.
  A. H. Etemadi and R. Iravani, “Supplementary mechanisms for smooth transition between control modes in a microgrid,” Electric Power Systems Research, vol. 142, pp. 249–257, Jan. 2017.
• C. C. Thompson, P. E. K. Oikonomou, A. H. Etemadi, and V. J. Sorger, “Optimization of data center battery storage investments for microgrid cost savings, emissions reduction, and reliability enhancement,” IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 2053–2060, May 2016.
• A. H. Etemadi and A. Rezaei-Zare, “Optimal placement of GIC blocking devices for geomagnetic disturbance mitigation,” IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 2753–2762, Nov. 2014.
• D. E. Olivares, A. Mehrizi-Sani, and A. H. Etemadi et. al., “Trends in microgrid control,” IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, vol. 5, no. 4, Jul. 2014.
• A. H. Etemadi and R. Iravani, “Overcurrent and overload protection of directly voltage-controlled distributed resources in a microgrid,” IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol. 60, no. 12, pp. 5629–5638, Dec. 2013.
• A. H. Etemadi, E. J. Davison, and R. Iravani, “A decentralized robust control strategy for multi-DER microgrids — Part I: Fundamental concepts,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 1843–1853, Oct. 2012.
• A. H. Etemadi, E. J. Davison, and R. Iravani, “A decentralized robust control strategy for a multi- DER microgrid — Part II: Performance evaluation,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 1854–1861, Oct. 2012.
• A. H. Etemadi and M. Fotuhi-Firuzabad, “Design and routine test optimization of modern protection systems with reliability and economic constraints,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 271–278, Jan. 2012.
• A. H. Etemadi and M. Fotuhi-Firuzabad, “New considerations in modern protection system quanti- tative reliability assessment,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 2213 –2222, Oct. 2010.
• A. H. Etemadi and M. Sanaye-Pasand, “High-impedance fault detection using multi-resolution signal decomposition and adaptive neural fuzzy inference system,” IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 110–118, Jan. 2008.
• A. H. Etemadi and M. Fotuhi-Firuzabad, “Distribution system reliability enhancement using optimal capacitor placement,” IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution, vol. 2, no. 5, pp. 621–631, Sep. 2008.
• A. H. Etemadi and M. Fotuhi-Firuzabad, “Quantitative assessment of protection system reliability incorporating human errors,” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part O: Journal of Risk and Reliability, vol. 222, no. 2, pp. 255–263, Jun. 2008.
• S. H. Hosseini and A. H. Etemadi, “Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system based automatic genera- tion control,” Electric Power Systems Research, vol. 78, no. 7, pp. 1230 – 1239, Jul. 2008.

Background

Dr. Fossaceca currently serves as Associate Division Chief for the U.S. Army Research Laboratory’s Information Sciences Division, where he supports research programs in AI & Machine Learning for Autonomous Systems. As Executive VP of Engineering, Dr. Fossaceca managed the team responsible for the modernization of the U.S. Army’s satellite-based Blue Force tracking system while at Comtech Telecommunications and served as VP of Engineering and Principal Investigator on Small Business Innovation Research programs for the U.S. Navy at 3e Technologies where his team developed some of the first secure WiFi technology accredited by the U.S. Government. Dr. Fossaceca also was also an Engineering Director at AT&T/Lucent/Bell Labs for Next Generation Telecommunications Systems working on several products including early VoIP telephony technology.

Dr. Fossaceca has conducted research and development in adaptive signal processing, machine learning, communications and cybersecurity. His present research interests are in online continuous machine learning in data-constrained environments, network intrusion detection, and the internet of battlefield things. Dr. Fossaceca is co-inventor on six patents related to wireless communications and signal detection, and he serves as a reviewer for several refereed journals. He teaches graduate courses in quantitative models, software engineering, and cybersecurity, and serves as Ph.D. research advisor for several students.

Dr. Fossaceca holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Manhattan College and Syracuse University, respectively; an M.B.A. from Virginia Tech; and a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from the George Washington University.

Selected Publications:

• MARK-ELM: Application of a novel Multiple Kernel Learning framework for improving the robustness of Network Intrusion Detection
  JM Fossaceca, TA Mazzuchi, S Sarkani
  Expert Systems with Applications 42 (8), 4062-4080
• A semi-boosted nested model with sensitivity-based weighted binarization for multi-domain network intrusion detection
  JW Mikhail, JM Fossaceca, R Iammartino
  ACM Transactions on Intelligent Systems and Technology (TIST) 10 (3), 1-27
• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Future Army Applications
  JM Fossaceca, SH Young Ground/Air Multisensor Interoperability, Integration, and Networking for Persistent ISR IX. Vol. 10635.
  International Society for Optics and Photonics, 2018
• Multiattribute Framework for Requirements Elicitation in Phased Array Radar Systems
  M Tompkins, R Iammartino, J Fossaceca
  IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management
• Evaluation of preconditions affecting symptomatic human error in general aviation and air carrier aviation accidents
  AJ Erjavac, R Iammartino, JM Fossaceca
  Reliability Engineering & System Safety 178, 156-163
• Software obsolescence risk assessment approach using multicriteria decision‐making
  TF Bowlds, JM Fossaceca, R Iammartino
  Systems Engineering 21 (5), 455-465
• Assessing the impact of requirements review on quality outcomes
  TE White, R Iammartino, JM Fossaceca
  Quality and Reliability Engineering International 34 (5), 882-893

Background

Dr. Hadi Mohammadi is an adjunct professor for the School of Engineering and Applied Science at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. He is an IT professional experienced with planning, implementing and managing endpoint and network architecture and accomplished ITIL, AWS Solution Architecture (SAA), and SecurityPlus certified. Dr. Mohammadi has over 10 years experience as a hands-on manager with strong knowledge of IT processes and cybersecurity incidents. Dr. Mohammadi has been engaged in the consulting industry in the areas of cybersecurity, risk management, and systems engineering techniques, and has competently managed multiple projects while maintaining customer satisfaction. In addition to his ongoing duties currently he is involved in designing, implementing, penetration testing, troubleshooting network infrastructure, Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) architecture design, cloud computing, AWS solution architecture, compliance and cybersecurity principles. Dr. Mohammadi has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree in Systems Engineering and a Masters in Engineering Management from GWU.

Publications:

Hadi Mohammadi, Thomas Mazzuchi, and Shahram Sarkani, A Systems engineering framework for implementation of security and critical patch management process in diverse environments, Journal of Information Technology Management (JITM) 24 (4), 51-61, Dec 2013

Background

Dr. Sahlin has been engaged in the implementation of and research in complex systems engineering for over 25 years. His primary focus is on cybersecurity and system design of multi-tenant systems architecture, such as Managed Service Provider and Cloud Computing architecture for commercial and public-sector clients. In addition to his ongoing duties as Professorial Lecturer in Engineering at GW, Dr. Sahlin serves as Director of Technology for Engility’s Defense and Security Group, where he is responsible for strategic planning, network design, systems engineering, and cybersecurity programs for DoD, DOJ, DHS, and other clients.

At Engility, Dr. Sahlin leads research efforts in support of the Defense Technical Information Center, Deputy Assistant of Defense for Systems Engineering, and Defense Threat Reduction Agency on numerous topics, including the implementation of cloud computing architectures for academic environments.

After completing his B.S. in Political Science at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, Dr. Sahlin earned an M.S. and Ph.D., both in Systems Engineering, from George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Selected Publications:

• Sahlin, J. P. and K. Lobera (2016). “Cloud Computing as a Catalyst for Change in STEM Education,” in Chao, L. (Ed.) Handbook of Research on Cloud-Based STEM Education for Improved Learning Outcomes [Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference]
• Sahlin, J. P. (Ed.). (2015). Social Media and the Transformation of Interaction in Society. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. ISBN13: 9781466685567
• Sahlin, J. (2014). “Federal Government Application of the Cloud Computing Application Integration Model,” in Khosrow-Pour, M. (Ed.). Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, 3rd Ed. [Hershey, PA: IGI Global]
• Sahlin, J. (2013). “Cloud Computing: Past, Present, and Future,” in X. Yang, & L. Liu (Eds.), Principles, Methodologies, and Service-Oriented Approaches for Cloud Computing [Hershey, PA: IGI Global]

Background

Dr. Niranjan Seevaratnam is a professorial lecturer for the School of Engineering and Applied Science at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. He has over 28 years of experience in the development, implementation and management of Information Technology, and has held various senior leadership positions at multinational and mid-size organizations in a variety of sectors (IT consulting, software, nonprofit, higher education, gaming/lottery and retail). He has managed numerous multimillion-dollar strategic IT infrastructure and applications initiatives from concept to delivery in the Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa. Dr. Seevaratnam currently serves as the Senior Director – Global IT Operations for Project HOPE, and is responsible for providing technology vision, transformation and leadership for strategic planning, innovation, and development and delivery of the organization’s IT solutions and services.

Dr. Seevaratnam received a Doctor of Engineering in Engineering Management, and a Master of Engineering Management, with a concentration in Software and Information Systems Management from The George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from Shenandoah University. His research interests include cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning techniques, modeling and optimization in the areas of cloud computing and high-performance computing systems. Dr. Seevaratnam’s affiliations include Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineering (IEEE), American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM) and the Internet Society (ISOC).

Background

Dr. George Trawick is an information assurance and cybersecurity professional with over 20 years’ experience in the cyber field. His special interests are risk assessment, accreditations, cryptology, cyber policy and cybercrime, for which his hands-on, operational experience coupled with extensive teaching have prepared him. He currently serves as assistant professor of cybersecurity at the National Defense University, College of Information and Cyberspace.

Formerly he was Chief of Information Assurance at the U.S. Army Human Resource Command, where he gained proficiency ranging from design, implementation and maintenance of classified networks to analysis of risk and operations. In his role at HRC, Dr. Trawick oversaw the IA elements for more than 350 personnel mission applications, as well as for IA training and compliance for the organization.

In addition to his background in cyber risk and security, Dr. Trawick is a skilled military leader with experience leading both infantry and artillery platoons, as well as directing battery deployments.

Background

Dr. Stuart H. Young holds a B.S. (1991) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle, WA; an M.S. (1996) in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA; and a Ph.D. (2016) in Systems Engineering from The George Washington University, Washington, DC. Currently, he is the Chief of the Asset Control and Behavior Branch, the Collaborative Alliance Manager for the Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (CTA) and the lead for the Intelligent Systems Center, all with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, MD. From 2006 to 2007, he was the Project Coordinator for Unmanned Systems and Countermine and Counter IED in the Program Manager–Future Combat Systems, Technology Office. He was with the U.S. Army Reserve as an Engineer Officer from 1991 to 2003. He holds four patents. His current research interests include the development of intelligent systems; autonomous behaviors for collaborating robotic teams operating in complex and urban environments; and in their experimental evaluation. He also serves as co-chair on the OSD Autonomy COI Test & Evaluation and Verification & Validation Working Group. Dr. Young is an Elected Member of the Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society and the Pi Tau Sigma International Mechanical Engineering Honor Society.

Selected Publications:

• Young, S.H., Mazzuchi, T.A. and Sarkani, S., 2016. A Framework for Predicting Future System Performance in Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems.
• Gregory, J., Fink, J., Stump, E., Twigg, J., Rogers, J., Baran, D., Fung, N. and Young, S., 2016. Application of multi-robot systems to disaster-relief scenarios with limited communication. In Field and Service Robotics (pp. 639-653). Springer International Publishing.
• Young, S. and Kott, A., 2016. A Survey of Research on Control of Teams of Small Robots in Military Operations. arXiv preprint arXiv:1606.01288.
• Piekarski, B., Sadler, B., Young, S., Nothwang, W. & Rao, R. 2016, April. Research and Vision for Intelligent Systems for 2025 and Beyond. Small Wars Journal.