Fazleena Badurdeen, Ph.D., Earl Parker Robinson Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and director of the graduate certificate in manufacturing systems engineering, has been named the director of the Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing (ISM) in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering.
ISM is an internationally recognized multidisciplinary collaborative research unit focused on cutting-edge research and technology development for sustainable products, processes and systems. Its primary objectives are to develop and advance sustainable manufacturing principles and practices in Kentucky, the nation and the world. Researchers conduct academic research (basic and applied), offer educational programs, are engaged in developing new and innovative sustainable manufacturing technologies and provide outreach to industry with technology transfer.
Badurdeen, who leads ISM’s Manufacturing Systems and Supply Chain Research Laboratory, has been a core faculty of the institute since its inception. She brings more than two decades of research, education and industry engagement experience in circular economy and sustainable manufacturing to the role.
“My vision is to expand ISM’s global leadership by advancing high-impact research, strengthening partnerships with industry and government and preparing the next generation of engineers to address complex manufacturing challenges in Kentucky and beyond,” Badurdeen said.
Badurdeen is internationally recognized for her expertise in sustainable and circular product design, measurement systems for circularity and sustainability evaluation, modeling and analysis of manufacturing systems and supply chains as well as smart manufacturing. She has served as principal investigator and co-principal investigator for externally funded research of nearly $18 million and has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers, reflecting the breadth and sustained impact of her work in circular economy and sustainable manufacturing.
In addition to her research leadership, Badurdeen has played a central role in manufacturing education at UK, including directing the master’s in manufacturing systems engineering program and helping expand access to advanced manufacturing engineering education through graduate and online programs.
Badurdeen is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), the founding chair of the International Forum on Sustainable Manufacturing and has served as a technical vice president for IISE, chairing the Industrial and Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge Governing Board. She is also an editor for Resources, Conservation, and Recycling and serves on the editorial boards of several other journals.
Badurdeen received her doctorate and master’s degrees in industrial engineering from Ohio University. She also holds an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management in Sri Lanka.
Badurdeen succeeds I. S. Jawahir, Ph.D., the James F. Hardymon Chair in Manufacturing Systems and founding director of ISM.
“ISM has been central to my professional journey since its inception, and I am honored to build on the strong foundation established by Dr. Jawahir,” Badurdeen said.
