Dr. Alain Bensoussan

Dr. Alain Bensoussan is a Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair, professor of operations management and the director of the International Center for Decision and Risk Analysis (ICDRiA) in the Naveen Jindal School of Management. In 2004, he joined UT Dallas and founded ICDRiA, which develops risk management research on large-investment industrial projects.

His research focuses on stochastic control, risk analysis and decision-making. Bensoussan develops a comprehensive approach to risk analysis, to recognize technical and socioeconomic risks simultaneously. He has experience in aerospace and information technology industries. His current focus is on the energy sector. He has published 13 books and more than 400 papers and proceedings.

Bensoussan, professor emeritus at the University of Paris Dauphine, was chair professor of Risk and Decision Analysis at Polytechnic University of Hong Kong (2009 to 2012) and the City University of Hong Kong (2013 to 2023). He also was World Class University Distinguished Professor at Ajou University in South Korea from 2010 to 2014.

Bensoussan served as president of National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (1984 to 1996) and the French Space Agency (1996 to 2003). He was also chairman of the European Space Agency Council from 1999 to 2002. Bensoussan is a member of the French Academy of Sciences, French Academy of Technologies, Academia Europaea and International Academy of Astronautics.

Bensoussan received the IEEE Systems Control Award in 2024 and the W.T. and Ida Reid Prize from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) in 2014. His other honors include a Von Humboldt Research Award and a NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. He is a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society, IEEE and SIAM. Bensoussan also has been recognized by the Legion of Honor and the National Order of Merit in France and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Dr. Polykarp Kusch

Dr. Polykarp Kusch was Nobel laureate in physics in 1955 and came to The University of Texas at Dallas in 1972.

At UT Dallas, he was Regental Professor and served on the physics faculty. His distinguished science career was complemented by his superb teaching. He delighted students with his presentations of physics experiments in his “Phenomena of Nature” classes.

Before coming to UT Dallas, Dr. Kusch had served as professor, vice president, provost and dean of faculties at Columbia University.

When he retired in 1982, UT Dallas established a program of annual lectures with the theme “Concerns of the Lively Mind” to honor Dr. Kusch.

Kusch Lectures