A recognized icon in the field of engineering statistics, Jeff Wu, Coca-Cola Chair in Engineering Statistics at ISyE, was selected to give a keynote at the IEEE International Conference in Bangkok, Thailand on Quality Improvement: From Autos and Chips to Nano and Bio in December 2013. The IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM) is the leading international forum to disseminate, to all branches of industries, information on the most recent and relevant research, theories and practices in IEEM.

Wu’s lecture focused on quality improvement.

Quality improvement (QI) has a glorious history, starting from Shewhart’s path-breaking work on statistical process control to Deming’s high-impact work on quality management. Statistical concepts and tools played a key role in such work. As the applications became more sophisticated, elaborate statistical methods were required to tackle the problems. In the last three decades, QI has seen more use of experimental design and analysis, particularly the methodology of robust parameter design.

Wu is continuously invited to give lectures at events hosted by some of the most respected organizations in the field. Wu's honors include membership on the National Academy of Engineering, Member of Academia Sinica, Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) Presidents’ Award in 1987, COPSS Fisher Lecture Award in 2011, honorary professor at Chinese Academy of Sciences, and an honorary doctor of mathematics at University of Waterloo.