List Of Systems Engineers
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systems engineer Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their life cycles. At its core, systems engineering utilizes systems thinkin ...
s, people who were trained in or practice
systems engineering Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their Enterprise life cycle, life cycles. At its core, systems engineering uti ...
, and made notable contributions to this field in theory or practice. __NOTOC__


A

*
James S. Albus James Sacra Albus (May 4, 1935 – April 17, 2011) was an American engineer, Senior NIST Fellow and founder and former chief of the Intelligent Systems Division of the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards an ...
(1935–2011), American engineer, founder of NIST Intelligent Systems Division *
Genrich Altshuller Genrikh Saulovich Altshuller (, ; 15 October 1926 – 24 September 1998) was a Soviet engineer, inventor, and writer. He is most notable for creating the TRIZ, Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, better known by its Russian acronym TRIZ. He fou ...
(1926–1998), Russian engineer; inventor of
TRIZ TRIZ (; ) is a methodology that combines an organized, systematic method of problem-solving with analysis and forecasting techniques derived from the study of patterns of invention in global patent literature. The development and improvement of ...
, Theory of Inventive Problem Solving * Arnaldo Maria Angelini (1909–1999), Italian engineer; Professor of Electrotechnics at the Sapienza University of Rome * Fred Ascani (1917–2010), American Major General, "father of systems engineering at Wright Field"


B

* Dave Bennett (born 1963) * Benjamin Blanchard (1929–2019),
Virginia Polytechnic Institute The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...
; SE educator; author of texts on systems engineering and related disciplines *
Wernher von Braun Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( ; ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German–American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and '' Allgemeine SS'', the leading figure in the development of ...
(1912–1977), chief architect of the
Saturn V The Saturn V is a retired American super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by NASA under the Apollo program for human exploration of the Moon. The rocket was human-rated, had multistage rocket, three stages, and was powered by liquid-propel ...
launch vehicle


C

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Peter Checkland Peter Checkland (born 18 December 1930, in Birmingham, UK) is a British management scientist and emeritus professor of systems at Lancaster University. He is the developer of soft systems methodology (SSM): a methodology based on a way of system ...
(born 1930), British management scientist and emeritus professor of Systems at Lancaster University; developer of soft systems methodology (SSM), a methodology based on a way of systems thinking *
Boris Chertok Boris Yevseyevich Chertok (; – 14 December 2011) was a Russian engineer in the former Soviet space program, mainly working in control systems, and later found employment in Roscosmos. Major responsibility under his guidance was primarily bas ...
(1912–2011), Rocket Space Corporation "Energy", Moscow, Russia; 2004 Simon Ramo Medal winner for significant contributions to systems engineering and technical leadership of control systems design for the orbiting space station
Mir ''Mir'' (, ; ) was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Russia, Russian Federation. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to ...
*
Harold Chestnut Harold (Hall) Chestnut (November 25, 1917 – August 29, 2001) was an American electrical engineer, control engineer and manager at General Electric and author, who helped establish the fields of control theory and systems engineering. Biography ...
(1918–2001), American electrical engineer and systems engineer; first president of the
International Federation of Automatic Control The International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC), founded in September 1957 in France, is a multinational federation of 49 national member organizations (NMO), each one representing the engineering and scientific societies concerned with a ...
(IFAC) * John R. Clymer (born 1942), researcher, practitioner, and teacher in the field of systems engineering; INCOSE Fellow; expert in conceiving, engineering, and demonstrating computeraided design tools for context-sensitive, self-adaptive systems * Mary (Missy) Cummings (born ), Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; one of the first female fighter pilots in the U.S. Navy


E


F

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Wolt Fabrycky Wolter Joseph Fabrycky (December 6, 1932 – November 6, 2024) was an American systems engineer, Lawrence Professor Emeritus of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech, and Principal of Academic Applications International. Biography ...
(born 1932), Virginia Polytechnic Institute; SE educator; author of texts on systems engineering and related disciplines * Irmgard Flügge-Lotz (1903–1974),
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, developed discontinuous automatic control and laid the foundation for automatic on-off aircraft control in jets * Kevin Forsberg (born 1934) *
Jacque Fresco Jacque Fresco (March 13, 1916 – May 18, 2017) was an American futurist and self-described social engineer. Self-taught, he worked in a variety of positions related to industrial design. Fresco wrote and lectured his views on susta ...
(1916–2017), project director at
The Venus Project The Venus Project is a 501(c) nonprofit organization founded by architect and social engineer Jacque Fresco. Fresco, along with his partner Roxanne Meadows, founded this project with a socioeconomic model to develop a resource-based economy for ...


G

* Tom Gilb (born 1940), American systems engineer; inventor of Planguage and Evolutionary Project Management * Harry H. Goode (1909–1960), American computer engineer and systems engineer; professor at University of Michigan; until his death he was president of the National Joint Computer Committee (NJCC); with Robert Engel Machol, he wrote the famous ''System Engineering Handbook'' * William Gosling (born c. 1930), British electrical engineer, Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Bath, and pioneer of system design in electrical engineering


H

* Arthur David Hall III (1925–2006), American electrical engineer; worked at Bell Labs; one of the founders of the
IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an American 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) public charity professional organization for electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and other related disciplines. The IEEE ...
; was among the first general systems theorists; wrote ''A Methodology of Systems Engineering'' from 1962 * David Heebner, consultant; recipient of 2003 Simon Ramo Medal for leadership in introducing towed line array sonar systems for long range detection of submarines * Derek Hitchins (born 1935), British systems engineer; professor in
engineering management Engineering management is the application of engineering methods, tools, and techniques to business management systems. Engineering management is a career that brings together the technological problem-solving ability of engineering and the organi ...
, in command & control and in
systems science Systems science, also referred to as systems research or simply systems, is a transdisciplinary field that is concerned with understanding simple and complex systems in nature and society, which leads to the advancements of formal, natural, socia ...
at the Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, England * Peggy Hodges OBE
FRAeS The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest Aeronautics, aeronautical society in the world. Memb ...
FIMA (1921–2008), British engineer who worked on guided missile technology at GEC Marconi.


I

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Junichi Iijima Junichi Iijima (born August 28, 1954), Japanese, Enterprise Engineer and Professor of the Department of Industrial Management and Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. Biography Born in Hokkaido, Junichi Iijima in 1983 receiv ...
(born 1954), Japanese computer scientist; professor of the Department of Industrial Management and Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology


J

* Gwilym Jenkins (1933–1982), British statistician and systems engineer; professor of Systems Engineering at
Lancaster University Lancaster University (officially The University of Lancaster) is a collegiate public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several new univer ...
; best known for the Box–Jenkins methodology for fitting
time series In mathematics, a time series is a series of data points indexed (or listed or graphed) in time order. Most commonly, a time series is a sequence taken at successive equally spaced points in time. Thus it is a sequence of discrete-time data. ...
models * Clarence "Kelly" Johnson (1910–1990), American aircraft engineer and aeronautical innovator; worked for Lockheed for more than four decades, playing a leading role in the design of over 40 aircraft, and acquiring a reputation as one of the most talented and prolific aircraft design engineers of the 20th century


K

* Rudolf Emil Kálmán (1930–2016), American-Hungarian mathematical system theorist; an electrical engineer by training * George Klir (1932–2016), Czech-American computer scientist and professor of systems sciences at the Center for Intelligent Systems at the Binghamton University in New York; author of several texts on systems, including ''Architecture of Systems Problem Solving'' * Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (1907–1966), Russian rocket and space systems designer beating the Americans during the Cold War times "space race" by Sputnik and putting the first man in space (Gagarin); his rocket and capsule designs are in principle still in use for supplying the International Space Station (Proton, Soyuz) * Kurt Kosanke (born c. 1945), German engineer, retired IBM manager, director of the AMICE Consortium and consultant; known for his work in the field of enterprise engineering, enterprise integration and CIMOSA * Kitaw Ejigu (February 25, 1948 – January 13, 2006), Ethiopian American scientist who worked for NASA as Chief of Spacecraft and Satellite Systems; engineer known for his work on design of space shuttles and spacecraft and made a great influence in NASA


L

* Robert J. Lano, systems engineer at TRW corporation; originator of the N2 chart * Donald J. Leonard (born 1933), American engineer, AT&T executive, received the 1996 IEEE Simon Ramo Medal * Donald H. Liles (born c. 1948), American systems engineer; Emeritus Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington


M

* Robert Engel Machol (1917–1998), early American systems engineer * Richard J. Mayer (born 1952), American engineer, developer of
IDEF IDEF, initially an abbreviation of ICAM Definition and renamed in 1999 as Integration Definition, is a family of modeling languages in the field of systems and software engineering. They cover a wide range of uses from functional modeling to da ...
family of modeling languages * John S. Mayo (born 1930), American engineer; seventh president of Bell Labs * Harold Mooz (born c. 1932), INCOSE systems engineering pioneer (2001); author of ''Visualizing Project Management'' (1996) and ''Communicating Project Management'' (2003); contributing author to ''The Wiley Guide to Managing Projects'' (2004); recipient of the CIA Seal Medallion * Philip M'Pherson (1927–2016), British systems engineer; founder of the Department of Systems Science at City University * George Mueller (1918–2015), American engineer; associate administrator of NASA during Apollo Program; pioneer of the "all-up" testing concept


N

* James G. Nell (born 1938), American engineer; principal investigator of the Manufacturing Enterprise Integration Project at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); known for his work on enterprise integration


O

*
Hermann Oberth Hermann Julius Oberth (; 25 June 1894 – 28 December 1989) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian-born German physicist and rocket pioneer of Transylvanian Saxons, Transylvanian Saxon descent. Oberth supported Nazi Germany's war effort and re ...
(1894–1989), Romanian/German space pioneer; derived basic rocket equations and described in principle all features of rockets and space stations still valid today; author of ''Die Rakete zu den Planetenraeumen'' (1923) and ''Wege zur Raumschiffahrt'' (1929); mentor of
Wernher von Braun Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( ; ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German–American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and '' Allgemeine SS'', the leading figure in the development of ...
* Tuncer Őren (born c. 1935), Turkish/Canadian systems engineer; professor emeritus of Computer Science at the School of Information Technology and Engineering (SITE) of the University of Ottawa


P

* Bradford Parkinson (born 1935), American professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
; recipient of the Simon Ramo Medal for leading the concept development of GPS *
Samuel C. Phillips Samuel Cochran Phillips (19 February 1921 – 31 January 1990) was a United States Air Force General (United States), general who served as Director of NASA's Apollo program from 1964 to 1969, as commander of the Space and Missile Systems Organi ...
(1921–1990), USAF general; Director of NASA's Apollo Manned Lunar Landing Program


R

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Simon Ramo Simon "Si" Ramo (May 7, 1913 – June 27, 2016) was an American engineer, businessman, and author. He led development of microwave and missile technology and is sometimes known as the father of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). He ...
(1913–2016), American physicist, engineer, and business leader; led development of microwave and missile technology; sometimes known as the "father of the
ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...
" * Eberhardt Rechtin (1926–2006), American systems engineer and respected authority in aerospace systems and systems architecture * Allen B. Rosenstein (1920–2018), American systems engineer and Professor of Systems Engineering at the University of California at Los Angeles


S

* Andrew P. Sage (1933–2014), School of Information Technology and Engineering, George Mason University; recipient of the 2000 Simon Ramo Medal for outstanding contributions to the field of systems engineering; series editor of a textbook series on systems engineering and management for John Wiley & Son *
Robert Seamans Robert Channing Seamans Jr. (October 30, 1918 – June 28, 2008) was an MIT professor who served as NASA Deputy Administrator and 9th United States Secretary of the Air Force. Birth and education He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, to Paulin ...
(1918–2008), NASA Deputy Administrator and MIT professor * Joseph Francis Shea (1925–1999), systems engineer on the Titan I ballistic missile; head of the Apollo Spacecraft Program OfficeNASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project
''Biographical Data Sheet – Joseph Francis Shea''
16 July 1998.
* Nikolai Sheremetevsky, Advisor to Director, All Russia Institute for Electromechanics; recipient of the 2004 Simon Ramo Medal for significant contributions to systems engineering and technical leadership of control systems design for the orbiting space station Mir * Neil Siegel (born 1954), Vice-President and Chief Engineer of the Northrop Grumman Corporation; lead systems engineer for many US Army systems; member of the US National Academy of Engineering; Fellow of the IEEE; recipient of the Simon Ramo Medal in 2011 for his work on the US Army's digital battlefield system * William W. Simmons (born 1932), American physicist and development of electro-optical devices * Edward Sussengeth (1932–2015), American engineer, developer of APL programming language and multiple IBM computer systems * Alistair Sutcliffe (born 1951), British engineer; professor at University of Manchester


T

* Arnold Tustin (1899–1994), British engineer; Professor of Engineering at the University of Birmingham and at Imperial College London; made important contributions to the development of control engineering and its application to electrical machines


W

* John N. Warfield (1925–2009), American electrical engineering and systems scientist; member of the Academic Committee of the International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics * Kevin Warwick (born 1954), Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at
Coventry University Coventry University is a Public university, public research university in Coventry, England. The origins of Coventry University can be linked to the Coventry School of Art and Design, Coventry School of Design in 1843. It was known as Lancheste ...
; previously Professor of Cybernetics at the
University of Reading The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...
; best known for his implant research linking humans and technology as a system *
Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...
(born 1933), British systems scientist and honorary professor at Cardiff University; known for his development of soft systems methodology (SSM) and enterprise modelling * A. Wayne Wymore (1927–2011), American mathematician and systems engineer; founder and first Chairman of Systems and Industrial Engineering (SIE) Department at the University of Arizona; one of the first Fellows of International Council on Systems Engineering ( INCOSE)


See also

*
Lists of engineers Types of engineer include: * Chartered Engineer * European Engineer * Incorporated Engineer * Professional Engineer * Royal Engineer Lists of individual engineers by discipline include: * List of aerospace engineers * List of canal engineers * Li ...
– for lists of
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
s from other
discipline Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult. Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a ...
s * List of systems scientists *
People in systems and control This is an alphabetical list of people who have made significant contributions in the fields of system analysis and control theory. Eminent researchers The eminent researchers (born after 1920) include the winners of at least one award of the IE ...
* List of systems engineering at universities * INCOSE Pioneer Award


References

{{Systems Engineering
Systems engineers Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their life cycles. At its core, systems engineering utilizes systems thinking ...
Systems engineering