AIRC-DAU Quarterly Research Forum: The Future of Managing Mega Projects

Tom McDermott is a leader, educator, and innovator in multiple technology fields. He currently serves as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ, as well as a consultant specializing in strategic planning for uncertain environments. He studies systems engineering, systems thinking, organizational dynamics, and the nature of complex human socio-technical systems. He teaches system architecture concepts, systems thinking and decision making, and the composite skills required at the intersection of leadership and engineering. He has over 30 years of background and experience in technical and management disciplines, including over 15 years at the Georgia Institute of Technology and 18 years with Lockheed Martin.

Dr. Zhongyuan Yu is a Teaching Associate Professor and Software Engineering Program Director at the School of Systems and Enterprises, Stevens Institute of Technology. Renowned for her expertise in constructing intelligent and interactive data-driven decision support systems, Dr. Yu possesses a remarkable 15-year proficiency in developing software prototypes. Her extensive research spans diverse domains, encompassing applied statistics, optimization, data visualization, simulation, natural language processing, graph theory, and socio-economics analysis. In addition to the academic conferences, Dr. Yu has delivered numerous impactful presentations to executives and senior managers across both public sectors and private industries. Notable organizations include Northwell Health, Emory Healthcare, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, UnitedHealth, Bell Labs, MITRE, and others. Dr. Zhongyuan Yu earned her Ph.D. in System Engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology and holds two M.S. degrees in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering, respectively, from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

David L. Gallop is DAU’s Director of Acquisition Workforce Education Partnerships.  He serves in this Congressionally mandated position to enhance the capabilities of the Defense Acquisition University to support educational, training, and research activities, enabling acquisition missions of the Department of Defense. Before joining DAU in 2009, Gallop was the Director of Programs at Athena Technologies. He served in various tactical and acquisition positions in his 21-year Army career, including an ACAT-1C program manager. Gallop has PhD and MS degrees in Systems Engineering from the George Washington University.  He has a MS degree in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University. He also has an MBA degree in Government Contract Management and a BS in Aeronautics from the Florida Institute of Technology.