UC Berkeley IEOR Students Engage With AI-Driven Shift in Industrial Engineering

2026 IISE Western Regional Conference 2026 20260314 523 4660 RCBain
Berkeley students gathered at the 2026 IISE Western Regional Conference

Advances in artificial intelligence are reshaping the field of industrial engineering, shifting its focus from optimizing processes to designing systems that deploy intelligence at scale, said UC Berkeley alum Patrick Tam (B.S. ’99, M.S. ’00 IEOR)

Tam, vice president of operational excellence at ServiceNow, delivered keynote remarks at the 2026 Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers Western Regional Conference. He described a future in which “intelligence is increasingly abundant,” placing new emphasis on how systems are structured to use that intelligence effectively. This transformation, he said, has the potential to redefine organizational operations and push performance into new frontiers.

UC Berkeley’s Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research supported 28 undergraduate students in attending this year’s regional conference at San José State University, where they took part in competitions, connected with peers and industry leaders from across the western U.S., and joined sessions led by companies such as Cisco and NVIDIA.

For many students, the experience offered both professional development and validation of their academic training.

“Attending my first IISE Western Regional Conference as co-director of development and outreach for UC Berkeley’s IISE chapter was a rewarding experience,” said Daniel Huang, B.S. ’28. “It was a privilege to engage with like-minded peers from institutions ranging from Oregon State to USC, fostering a strong sense of community among students with shared ambitions in industrial engineering.”

Huang said a highlight was applying classroom knowledge in the case study competition, where he and his team earned first place.

“Hearing industry leaders evaluate our approach and provide feedback was invaluable,” he said. “I look forward to bringing these insights back to our chapter and encouraging other IISE members to attend in the future.”

The conference is part of western regional network which spans 13 states. UC Berkeley previously hosted the regional conference in 2022. Student participation in professional conferences such as the IISE Western Regional Conference is made possible through donor support.