Advancing Systems Thinking Tools in Systems Engineering Practice
The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) honored Tom McDermott, CTO of the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), as a Fellow at its 33rd Annual International Symposium in Honolulu on July 18.
INCOSE Fellows include practitioners from academia, industry, and government who apply knowledge and contribute to the practice of systems engineering in designing and acquiring systems; researchers who develop new knowledge and push theory forward; and teachers who disseminate knowledge and develop the next generation of successful systems engineers.
McDermott was cited “For consistently researching, developing, and applying systems engineering tools to many different domains, and for advancing the use of systems thinking tools in systems engineering practice.”
SERC Executive Director Dr. Dinesh Verma, who was named an INCOSE Fellow in 2002, reflected on the significance of INCOSE recognizing McDermott. “INCOSE is a leading connector of the systems engineering community,” Verma said. “Their naming of Tom as a Fellow recognizes his broad and longstanding contributions to systems engineering, including through his extensive professional roles, prolific research, numerous papers and conference presentations, and capability to advance thought within the community, particularly on systems engineering modernization.”
McDermott graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in physics and an M.S. in electrical engineering. He spent 18 years with Lockheed Martin, including as chief engineer and program manager for the F-22 Raptor Avionics Team. He filled several roles in research, teaching, and senior leadership at the Georgia Tech Research Institute from 2002 to 2018. During his tenure, GTRI research awards doubled to more than $300 million, faculty research positions increased by 60%, and the organization was recognized as one of Atlanta’s best places to work. He also helped design Georgia Tech’s graduate program in applied systems engineering.
McDermott’s research has explored systems engineering, systems thinking, organizational dynamics, and the nature of complex human socio-technical systems. He has taught system architecture concepts, systems thinking and decision making, and the composite skills required at the intersection of leadership and engineering. His current research activities focus on innovation models, strategic foresight techniques, system data analytics, and modeling and simulation of policy implications in current and future complex systems. His long-term research goal is to develop methods and tools that support better systems thinking in the management and engineering domains and enable more rapid development of system knowledge.
As CTO, McDermott guides the SERC research portfolio. His own recent research projects include “Transitioning Mission Aware Concepts and Methods to Evaluate Cost/Risk Decisions for Security,” “Application of Digital Engineering Measures,” “Program Managers Guide to Digital and Agile Systems Engineering Process Transformation,” and “Systems Engineering Modernization Policy, Practice, and Workforce Roadmaps.” He also takes a leading role in organizing and moderating the SERC Talks webinar series.
Several other SERC researchers have been named INCOSE Fellows since the award was established in 1998, including Dr. Barry Boehm (2000), Dr. Donna Rhodes (2002), Dr. Azad Madni (2005), Dr. Bill Rouse (2006), Dr. Art Pyster (2009), Dr. Jon Wade (2018), David Long (2019), and Dr. Dan DeLaurentis (2021).
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