Institute for Systems Research

Welcome to ISR!

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Computer Vision

Communications & Networks

Control, Optimization and Modeling

Energy Systems

Micro & Nanosystems

Neuroscience and Computational Biology

Operations Research, Decision Making

Robotics and autonomy

Security

Systems Engineering; Engineering Design

Founded in 1985

Originally the Systems Research Center, ISR is one of the National Science Foundation's original six engineering research centers.

Interdisciplinary by nature

More than 60 ISR faculty, from 13 departments and five University of Maryland colleges, develop basic solution methodologies and tools for a wide range of systems problems.

Graduate systems education

ISR offers M.S., M.Eng. and certificate options in systems engineering with a variety of specializations and both thesis and non-thesis options.

Enabling technologies

ISR research addresses issues associated with the technical development of systems.

Analysis and design tools

Engineering and biological system frontiers can be pushed because engineers have powerful analysis and design tools that ISR was key in developing.

News & Events

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Jun 25, 2026

Grand Challenges 2.0: Engineers Partner to Unlock Solutions

Seven of 11 collaborative projects include contributions from engineering