Shu-Kai Fan, who is currently the Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management at Taipei Tech, has recently been appointed as Editor-in-Chief of Engineering Optimization, an international multidisciplinary journal focuses on optimization method and innovative applications in engineering. Fan is also the first Asian Editor-in-Chief of this Q1 rating journal (rated by the Journal Impact Quartile in 2019-2020) since it was first published in 1974. As a researcher and scholar in the field of engineering optimization, big data analysis and process control for over 20 years, Fan is ready to lead the journal into a new phase by launching special issues that celebrate innovation and revolution.   

As the Convener of the Department of Engineering and Technologies under the Ministry of Science and Technologies, R.O.C, and the Vice President of Asia Pacific Industrial Engineering and Management Society, Fan based his research on practical problem solving. He also participates in several industry-academia collaborative projects with well-known enterprises such as UMC, AUO and KYEC. By utilizing advanced process control technology (APC), he integrates data science and smart computing with semiconductors, panels and passive components to achieve industrial applications.

Engineering Optimization, as one of the most significant journal in the engineering fields, covers various subjects such as aerospace, electrical machinery, chemical industry, manufacturing and transportation. In 2007, former Editor-in-Chief, Andrew Templeman, invited Fan to join the editorial board, and later, Fan became the first Taiwanese listed as the Associate Editor. Fan said that Templeman “is a very decent English gentleman”, and he never asked his editors to audit the article based on whether it includes a citation content of the journal or not. He also indicated that Engineering Optimization always received nearly 1,000 submissions per year, but only 120 articles will be selected and published as a way to uphold the quality of the journal.   

By taking the position as Editor-in-Chief of an international journal, Fan intends to groom the next generation in the field of engineering optimization, and he encourages scholars and researchers in related fields to submit more of their works. “In the future, we will be more theme-oriented and launch special issues such as Taiwan’s production line, supply chain and design chain in the post-pandemic era,” said Fan. “I believe this kind of promotion of our research achievement will help elevate Taiwan’s global profile.”