Ilham Kissani

Dr. Ilham Kissani is an Professor of Engineering and Management Science in the School of Science and Engineering (SSE) at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI), Morocco. Since 2010, she has served as the main academic advisor and lead instructor for the undergraduate Engineering and Management Science (BSEMS) program.

 

Dr. Kissani holds an Engineering degree in Operations Research and Statistics from INSEA (Morocco), a Master’s degree in Decision Systems, and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Université Laval (Canada). Her professional trajectory spans both industrial practice and academia. She has worked as a project manager with Royal Dutch Shell and consulted in logistics and supply chain optimization for organizations such as Modellium-Québec and Natura-Brazil. Her research focuses on supply chain management, integrated planning, operations research, statistics, and quantitative methodologies. She maintains active professional memberships in ASEM, IEEE, IEOM, IIE, and INFORMS.

 

At Al Akhawayn University, Dr. Kissani plays a central role in program development, curriculum innovation, and institutional quality assurance. She served on the Academic Council across multiple terms and took a leading role in securing initial ABET accreditation for all AUI engineering programs in 2016—specifically the Engineering and Management Science (BSEMS), General Engineering (BSGE), and Computer Science (BSCSC) programs. In 2022, she successfully led the ABET reaccreditation cycle for the BSEMS program and was appointed Quality Assurance Lead for the School of Science and Engineering. In this capacity, she oversees continuous improvement processes, assessment frameworks, and faculty development workshops on curriculum design and outcome alignment.

 

Dr. Kissani established close inter- country ties within AFRETEC collaboration for International Accreditation and Inclusive Digital Transformation across multiple African countries. She established inter-school ties with AUI’s School of Business Administration (SBA), enabling both schools to leverage resources and deliver interdisciplinary courses in Information Management Systems, Supply Chain Management, and Operations Management. Her teaching methodology emphasizes active, project-based learning and industry-linked assignments integrated with digital tools and platforms (including Python, artificial intelligence applications, Cleopatra Enterprise, PowerBI, and others). Overall, her academic service encompasses curriculum leadership, quality assurance, and practice-relevant engineering education aligned with evolving global standards.