Students who enroll in Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s new graduate certificate in digital twins can explore the answers to these questions and a whole lot more. The 12-credit-hour program, launching this fall in the School of Modeling, Simulation and Training (SMST), will teach students to design, implement and analyze advanced digital twin systems that can mimic the behavior and performance of their physical counterparts.

“The program emphasizes innovation and hands-on learning, preparing students to apply cutting-edge digital twin technologies to real-world challenges across sectors such as smart cities, healthcare, aerospace, manufacturing and defense,” SMST Interim Director and Program Coordinator Ghaith Rabadi says. “The program is strategically designed to strengthen Central Florida’s digital twin talent pipeline and offers students access to industry-aligned training and career-ready skills. Graduates will emerge equipped to drive transformative digital solutions in high-demand fields.”

Various industries already utilize digital twins to test and analyze products or environments before they are created. For example, NASA uses digital twins to predict the behavior of spacecraft and increase the success of future missions. Siemens Healthcare employs digital twins of organs to help doctors better understand their physiology and to develop more targeted treatments.

Industry professionals who want to develop skills in this type of digital modeling are welcome to apply to the program. A background in engineering or computer science is not required, although an undergraduate degree from a STEM-related discipline and some experience with programming are preferred.

Assistant Professor Soheil Sabri says that graduates of the program may be better positioned to pursue job titles such as digital twin engineer, simulation analyst, systems integration specialist, smart infrastructure developer or digital transformation consultant across a wide range of industries.

“With the growing adoption of digital twin technologies in industries such as aerospace, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, transportation and national defense, graduates will be equipped to lead efforts in optimizing operations, enhancing predictive maintenance and driving innovation in complex systems,” Sabri says. “The program’s strong emphasis on real-world applications and industry collaboration further enhances graduates’ readiness for impactful, future-forward careers.”

The SMST faculty aims to enroll 10 to 15 students in the first year of the program and already have strong interest from students enrolled in the school’s graduate degrees. The program can be completed online, offering convenience to students who need to balance coursework with a full-time job.

“The program is designed to be accessible to working professionals and students from diverse STEM backgrounds, providing flexible pathways to deepen understanding into emerging fields such as machine learning and artificial intelligence,” Assistant Professor Sean Modesire says. “As digital twins continue to revolutionize sectors from healthcare to aerospace, this program positions Â鶹ԭ´´ at the forefront of preparing the next generation of innovators and problem solvers.”

Other collaborators on the project include Roger Azevedo, Vishnu Prabhu and Bulent Soykan.

“SMST faculty and staff are looking forward to working with the leadership and faculty at the College of Engineering and Computer Science and advancing its mission,” Rabadi says. “SMST is open to new and exciting opportunities for expanding our interdisciplinary research and graduate programs, and attracting top talent of faculty and students from the departments in the college and across Â鶹ԭ´´.”

The goal of the move is to further enhance the university’s reputation in modeling and simulation, and to increase the interdisciplinary research and partnerships between SMST and CECS.

“It is a well-known fact that the best research discoveries involve expertise from multiple disciplines and the SMST’s stronger involvement with CECS will expand CECS’s research portfolio and SMST’s research portfolio” says Michael Georgiopoulos, the dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “Furthermore, SMST’s educational mission enhances the college’s educational pursuits towards a student population with unique interests in a location that is known for its excellence in modeling and simulation. It is my strong belief that this closer collaboration of CECS and SMST will enhance the pursuit of their respective missions for the better being of the institution and its students.”

Since its founding in 2018, SMST has awarded more than 550 graduate degrees. Academically, SMST offers a master’s in modeling and simulation, a doctorate in modeling and simulation, and a graduate certificate in modeling and simulation of behavioral cybersecurity. Students who are currently enrolled in those programs will graduate under CECS. Additionally, eight faculty members, including Rabadi, have joined CECS under SMST:

• Professor Roger Azevedo
• Assistant Professor Yao Li
• Assistant Professor Sean Mondesire
• Assistant Professor Soheil Sabri
• Assistant Professor Mengjie Li
• Assistant Professor Veeraraghava Raju Hasti
• Assistant Professor Vishnu Prabhu

Mengjie Li, Hasti and Prabhu joined Â鶹ԭ´´ this semester. SMST’s academic advisor, Tonya Walker, has also transitioned to CECS.

Professor Grace Bochenek ’98PhD, former director of SMST, will continue to lead IST, which will rebrand as the Pegasus Research Institute under the Office of Research.

°Őłó±đĚý received a $1.155 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish and launch the new program, which is expected to start in Spring or Fall of 2025. The grant, part of the Department of Education (DOE) Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, or FIPSE, program, started this month. SMST faculty will spend this year developing the new program and the next two years implementing and evaluating it.

The grant will enable Â鶹ԭ´´ to build on its academic and research strengths in digital twins, which are digital replicas of complex real-world systems. By manipulating digital twins, scientists, doctors, urban planners, and others can analyze, predict, optimize, and make real-time decisions on products, processes, and systems.

The new DOE grant will allow Â鶹ԭ´´ to expand educational programs focused on digital twin. Graduate students enrolled in the program would learn about designing, implementing, managing, and creating innovations for digital twin technologies, and they would gain real-life experiences through industry as part of the program.

Along with the $1.155 million in FIPSE funding, Â鶹ԭ´´ will include about 25% in matching funds to bring the total grant to almost $1.5 million.

Ghaith Rabadi, modeling and simulation professor and graduate program director, will lead the certificate program along with SMST faculty members Roger Azevedo, Joe Kider, Sean Mondesire, Soheil Sabri and Bulent Soykan.

“The award further strengthens the digital twin strategic initiative program at Â鶹ԭ´´ and ensures a definitive pathway to educate the next generation in this transformative technology,” says Rabadi. “Graduates will be well-prepared to become leading researchers and innovators in a field rapidly becoming a vital part of our regional and state economies.”

The initiative is crosscutting within the university and will encompass ongoing digital twin research in multiple sectors, including microelectronics, space, multi-domain operations, test, and evaluation, human digital twins, AI-enabled capabilities and machine interface, airports of the future, smart cities, energy infrastructure, and more.

This is Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s second federal grant connected with digital twin research. As part of a 2022 Department of Commerce grant awarded to Osceola County and several partners, Â鶹ԭ´´ researchers are replicating the semiconductor production line at the Center for NeoVation in Osceola County, with a goal of increasing productivity and reliability.

Digital twin research is also a focus of Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s Strategic Investment Program. Led by Grace Bochenek ’98PhD, director of SMST, that collaboration also includes faculty from engineering and computer science, psychology, and arts and humanities. The goal is to develop a digital twin framework and tools that can be adapted by governments, industry, and academia based on their needs. Potential applications include healthcare, smart cities, transportation and defense.