Rui Zhu

Rui Zhu is an Assistant Professor at the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, The University of Oklahoma, specializing in data-driven modeling, simulation, and optimization of complex systems with applications in healthcare, manufacturing, and engineering education. She earned her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University (2021), M.S. in Human Factors in Design, and B.S. in Industrial Design from Harbin Institute of Technology (2014, 2017).

Research Interests: Rui's work integrates deep learning-assisted simulation, predictive modeling under model uncertainty, and optimization of advanced sensing systems. She explores virtual reality (VR) simulation and eye-tracking data analytics in VR environments, with cross-disciplinary impact on health and medical systems and cyber-physical-social systems.

Publication Trends: Recent work highlights AI/ML in healthcare diagnostics (Bayesian survival analysis, cardiac electrophysiology), VR applications in manufacturing and education (problem-solving modeling, adaptive virtual assistants), and sensor optimization for industrial systems. Her research bridges theoretical innovation (e.g., spatiotemporal regularization) with practical applications (e.g., noise quality evaluation).

Scientific Awards:

• Best Track Paper, Work Systems & Services, IISE Annual Conference (2022)
• Best Track Paper, Human Factors & Ergonomics, IISE Annual Conference (2021)
• Honorable Mention, INFORMS Conference on Service Science Best Student Paper Competition (2020)
• Marcus Fellowship, Penn State University (2019)
• Honor Graduate, Harbin Institute of Technology (2016, 2014)

Advising: Actively mentoring Ph.D. students including Weixuan Dong (Fall 2022–Present) and Yuning Cui (Fall 2021–Present). She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses like ISE 3293 Applied Engineering Statistics and ISE 4633 Probabilistic Systems Models.

Labs & Teams: Rui leads a lab focused on virtual reality simulation and eye-tracking analytics, collaborating with institutions like Penn State University and Harbin Institute of Technology. Her team applies interdisciplinary methods to solve challenges in healthcare, manufacturing, and educational technologies.