Experiences in Industry and Academia

Susan L. Albin is Professor and Director of the Graduate Program in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Rutgers University. Her research areas are quality engineering and stochastic modeling. Before joining Rutgers in 1981, Dr. Albin spent four years at Bell Laboratories and five years on the research staff at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Albin received her DESc in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Columbia University in 1981; her MS and BS in Industrial Engineering from NYU.

Dr. Albin is currently working on quality engineering problems in a computer integrated manufacturing environment with the support of the Army. Also, she is developing a laboratory course that will be a companion to the traditional course in Statistical Quality Control.

Other recent projects include concurrent engineering for new products in a medium sized manufacturing company; a study of the consequences of clustered defects in semiconductor fabrication and electronics assembly; and the design of off-line quality control experiments in plastic recycling processes. Dr. Albin's research has been supported by NSF, FAA, DOD, and the Council for Solid Waste Solutions. She is a recipient of an Exxon Education Foundation Award.

Dr. Albin is an Associate Editor for Management Science and for IIE Transactions. She was elected to the Council of the Operations Research Society of America and serves as a member of the ORSA publications committee. She has served as a panel member for the National Science Foundation. and is a member of ORSA, TIMS, BE, and is a senior member of ASQC.

• Bell Laboratories

Operations Research Department
1976-1981
• Rutgers University

Industrial Engineering
1981-present

• Bell Labs circa 1980 no longer exists
• Joined Rutgers in a new department
• Technical R&D position (industrial or public sector) vs. Tenure Track Assistant Prof.

• Academia
• Greater choice in projects
• Too much choice for some
• Opportunity for Theoretical Research
• Industry
• Choice in projects
• Applied Research

• Both
• Goal: solve problem & bring money
• Industry
• Management often writes proposals
• Academia
• You write proposals

• Industry
• Access
• May include training and implementation phases
• Large and Small Problems
• Academia
• Access with much effort
• Small problems
• Another line on cv

• Great for Meaningful Work
• Great for Students

• Developing Contacts
• NSF Internship Program
• Commitment

• Conflict with tenure
• Time consuming
• Project work
• Every plant manager has a thousand stories to tell
• Learn a new business

• Outsider
• It's not your widget
• Project may end when you leave
• Consultant

• Industry
• Consultant
• Various Stages of Projects
• Academia
• Researcher
• Teacher
• Research Advisor
• Administrator
• Editor
• Confidant

• Industry
• Colleagues
• Clients
• Academia
• Colleagues & clients
• Students (18 yrs to ...)
• Tragedies
• Harassment
• Cheating
• Drugs

• Academia
• flexible hours
• individualistic
• entrepreneurial
• Industry
• restrictions on hours
• (though loosening)
• structured organization chart

• Industry
• Research Administration
• Consultant
• Line Positions
• Senior Technical Position
• Academia
• University Administration
• Consultant
• Professor

• From academia Þ industry
• possible for technical positions
• difficult for managerial positions
• From industry Þ academia
• more difficult but ...
• visible in research community
• publish
• talks at meetings
• society & editorial work
• unusual after 5-10 years

• Industry
• relocations
• downsizing
• reorganizations
• Academia
• more stable
• especially after tenure
• no guarantees

• Industry or Academia:
• Where does it feel right?
• Academia
• That's where the students are.
• Industry
• That's where the problems are.