Chase E Rainwater

Dr. Chase E Rainwater is Professor and Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Arkansas College of Engineering, serving since 2009 while co-directing the Arkansas Security Research and Education Institute. A University of Arkansas alumnus with bachelor's and doctoral degrees in Industrial Engineering from UF, he commands significant research funding and leadership recognition.

His educational credentials:

• B.S.I.E., University of Arkansas
• Ph.D., University of Florida

Rainwater's research integrates large-scale optimization with critical applications in supply chain security, food safety systems, and national infrastructure protection. His work bridges machine learning, cybersecurity, and homeland security through $20M+ in NSF, DoD, and USDA-funded projects, developing algorithms for drug interdiction networks, poultry supply chain safety, and aerial image analysis.

Recent publications reveal accelerating interdisciplinary convergence: 2021-2025 works combine computer vision (wildfire segmentation, solar PV monitoring) with operations research (supply chain security, network interdiction). This reflects his strategic pivot toward AI-driven solutions for environmental monitoring and critical infrastructure resilience while maintaining core logistics expertise.

Major honors include:

• University of Arkansas Teaching Academy Fellow (2022)
• Five-time IE Department Outstanding Teacher (2012,2014,2015,2017,2022)
• IISE Innovation in Education Award (2021)
• College of Engineering Collaborative Research Award (2018)
• Arkansas Academy of IE Outstanding Faculty (2017,2022)
• FIRST Tech Challenge Compass Award (2017)

He has advised six Ph.D. graduates while securing $20M+ in grants including EPSCoR DART ($4.3M), Cybersecurity Workforce Development ($4.6M), and Walmart food safety initiatives ($3.2M+). His leadership spans IISE Board of Trustees, INFORMS committees, and Arkansas FIRST robotics mentorship since 2015.

Rainwater co-directs the Arkansas Security Research Institute while mentoring FIRST robotics teams for over a decade, including coaching Team USA at the FIRST Global Challenge. His departmental leadership focuses on data science integration and cross-college security initiatives.