Fu receives Grainger Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship

Ying Fu, a PhD student in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, has received a 2026–27 Grainger Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship, an honor for superb doctoral students in the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering.

Fu’s research focuses on degradation-aware learning and optimization for smart and connected manufacturing systems, where unexpected failures can cause significant economic losses and safety risks. As part of Grainger STAR Professor Kaibo Liu‘s research group, Fu leverages Internet-of-Things sensor data to develop methods for degradation modeling, prognostics and decision-making that improve the safety and efficiency of these systems, such as aircraft engines.

During her time as a PhD student, she has published several papers in top journals in the field, including IISE Transactions, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, European Journal of Operational Research and IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering.

The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers named her a 2025-26 Future Faculty Fellow. She has served as a teaching assistant for ISyE/ME 412: Fundamentals of Industrial Data Analytics, earning stellar student reviews.

In addition to pursuing her PhD, she earned a master’s degree in computer science from UW-Madison in 2025. Before arriving in Madison in 2022, she earned her BS in engineering and finance and MS in management science and engineering from South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, China.

“Ying is an exceptionally talented, highly motivated and forward-looking PhD student whose record of research excellence, productivity, teaching and professional preparation exemplifies the goals of the Grainger Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship,” wrote David H. Gustafson Department Chair Shiyu Zhou in his nomination letter.