Dr. Jun-Ing Ker, Program Chair of Industrial Engineering, currently holds the James E. Smith Professorship.  Dr. Ker received his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Tunghai University (Taiwan) in 1980 and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Industrial Engineering from University of Missouri-Columbia in 1985 and 1989, respectively. Dr. Ker’s broad research interests cover machine vision technologies, Lean-Six Sigma applications in manufacturing and service industries, and industrial engineering education innovation. Since joining Louisiana Tech in 1989, Dr. Ker has secured many research projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Louisiana State Board of Regents, and area industries.  In addition, he has supervised more than 120 senior and graduate design projects that have benefited many manufacturing and service industries in and outside Louisiana including Fortune 500 companies such as General Electric, Lockheed Martin, Procter & Gamble, Emerson, Saint-Gobain, and Northrop Grumman as well as several area hospitals. Since 2011 Dr. Ker has conducted many Lean and Six Sigma training workshops to area industries including CenturyLink (Monroe, LA), Frymaster (Shreveport, LA), and Mid South Extrusion Co. (Monroe, LA). Recent honors Dr. Ker received include the 2011 Outstanding Teaching award from the College of Engineering and Science, 2013 Institute of Industrial Engineers Outstanding Faculty Advisor Recognition Award for the Southeast Region, and 2016 Outstanding Reviewer Award from Computers and Industrial Engineering. Dr.  Ker has published over 35 papers in professional journals and peer-reviewed conference proceedings. Dr. Ker often serves as a reviewer for professional journals such as Computers and Industrial Engineering and Measurement Science and Technology. Courses that Dr. Ker frequently teach include Six Sigma & Quality Control, Lean Manufacturing and Management Systems, Industrial Robotics & Automated Manufacturing, and Capstone Design.  Dr. Ker is a lifetime member of the IISE. As a note, Dr. Ker’s daughter, Justine Ker, won the Miss Louisiana Crown in 2016 and his niece, Crystal Lee, was Miss California 2013 and the First Runner Up in the 2014 Miss America Pageant.