From the Chair
Dear fellow QSR members — thank you for your continued support of the Quality, Statistics & Reliability Section. Your dedication and expertise keep making a lasting impact on our community.
First, I am thrilled to soft-launch our new QSR Interactive Newsletter Series. With the leadership of Ahmed Aziz Ezzat and Minhee Kim on our public relations and social media efforts, we have moved to a dynamic, interactive digital format on a clear cadence of two issues per year: a brief summer issue just ahead of our flagship ICQSR conference, and a comprehensive issue each October before the INFORMS Annual Meeting. This keeps our community connected and updated year-round.
Our community also keeps growing. Membership reached 456 this past year and is now tracking close to 500, a reflection of the vibrancy and inclusivity of our section. This issue centers on ICQSR 2026, which has moved on-campus to the Department of Data Science at City University of Hong Kong (July 5–9), and previews the QSR cluster at the INFORMS Annual Meeting in San Francisco — 36 technical sessions and our signature competitions, led by Conference Chair Peter Liu.
We continue to invest in the next generation: funding for student chapters, the mentorship program with the IISE DAIS and QCRE divisions, Alan Vázquez’s Student Engagement Sessions connecting students with experts from companies like Meta, Amazon, and Baker Hughes, and four webinars across the fall and spring. New recognitions such as the QSR Teaching Award and QSR Industry Service Award further broaden how we honor excellence across the section.
Finally, please join me in thanking our newly elected Council members, our Advisory Board, our sponsors, and our tireless volunteers. Your ongoing involvement is vital to our shared success. Together, we will continue advancing the mission of the QSR Section and shaping the future of quality, statistics, and reliability.
QSR Council
A snapshot of the people steering the QSR Section
The QSR Section is led by its elected Executive Officers and Council, supported by its Immediate Past Chair and Past Chair. The current roster and headshots below are drawn from the official QSR Officers & Leadership page.
Arizona State University
University of Florida
University at Buffalo
Rutgers University
Tecnológico de Monterrey
New Jersey Institute of Technology
University of Washington
KAIST
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Houston
Member spotlights and ongoing updates are shared via the QSR LinkedIn page.
ICQSR 2026 — Hong Kong
& Reliability
Keynote speakers
Four distinguished researchers will headline ICQSR 2026, spanning industrial engineering, electrical engineering, and applied technology leadership.
Department of Industrial and Management Engineering
Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Department of Electrical Engineering
City University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong Productivity Council
Leaders Forum — Navigating the AI Frontier
A featured session on Monday, July 6 brings together six global academic leaders to share visions on how research and education must evolve in the age of AI. Panelists include Zhen He (Tianjin), Kwang-Jae Kim (POSTECH), Jianjun Shi (Georgia Tech), Lixin Tang (Northeastern), Fugee Tsung (HKUST), and Jianping Wang (CityU HK).
Competitions & early-career programs
Best Paper Award finalists
Four finalists were selected for the ICQSR 2026 Best Paper Award; the winner will be announced at the conference. Full list →
Data Challenge finalists
Six teams advanced as finalists in the “Data to Clean Power” challenge, listed by precision rank. Full list →
Key dates
Full conference details, registration, accommodation, and committee listings at ds.cityu.edu.hk/icqsr2026.
INFORMS Annual Meeting 2026
QSR returns to the INFORMS Annual Meeting this fall in San Francisco. Save the date and watch for the QSR cluster, paper competitions, and the business meeting.
Competitions & Awards
As in previous years, the QSR Section organizes a full slate of competitions and awards at the Annual Meeting, with award sessions held during the QSR cluster and winners announced at the QSR Business Meeting. Below are this year’s programs and the deadlines confirmed so far.
Conference details and registration at meetings.informs.org/annual.
Student chapter activity grants
The QSR Section invites all INFORMS Student Chapters to propose events that promote Quality, Statistics, and Reliability — with funding to help make them happen in Fall 2026.
What to include
A proposal of at most 3 pages (11 pt font, 1-inch margins) covering: a title and summary (max 250 words); objectives and how they align with QSR; a detailed description of format, participants, content, and schedule; an itemized budget with justification; a brief note on the chapter’s recent activity and how many members belong to QSR; a timeline; and the organizing team. Proposals must include a concrete plan to introduce participants to the QSR Section — for example, promoting the QSR Tutorial Series, Webinar Series, or social channels — with at least one follow-up action that keeps participants engaged afterward.
Eligibility & how to apply
Each team must include at least one QSR student member representative; chapters may use grant funds to cover the $6 student membership fee and be reimbursed (join the QSR Section). Submit a single PDF by July 31, 2026 to mkim3@ufl.edu with the subject line “INFORMS QSR Proposal – [Your Chapter Name]”. Selected chapters are notified by August 17, 2026, and submit a short post-activity report (with photos and participant names and emails) to request reimbursement.
Questions? Contact Dr. Minhee Kim (University of Florida) or Dr. Ahmed Aziz Ezzat (Rutgers University).
Open calls for papers
Currently open special issues at IISE Transactions and the INFORMS Journal on Data Science.
IISE Transactions
INFORMS Journal on Data Science
Stay connected
The QSR Section maintains active channels for member engagement, member spotlights, webinar announcements, and community news. Scan a code or follow a link to join in.