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Dr. Thomas Omwando

Dr. Thomas Omwando

Associate Professor of Engineering and Chair, Department of Engineering

Biography

Dr. Thomas Omwando is Associate Professor of Engineering and Chair of the Department of Engineering at Simpson University. He earned his Ph.D. in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM). His academic expertise includes sustainable manufacturing systems, AI-driven decision support, energy management, and operations optimization.
Dr. Omwando’s research integrates artificial intelligence, fuzzy decision frameworks, and IoT-enabled systems to advance sustainable remanufacturing and circular production models. He has published in leading journals such as Journal of Cleaner Production and Computers & Industrial Engineering and regularly presents at the ASEE Annual Conference.

As an ABET Institute for the Development of Excellence in Assessment and Leadership (IDEAL) Scholar, Dr. Omwando is actively engaged in advancing innovation in engineering education, with particular emphasis on entrepreneurial mindset development, generative AI integration, and experiential learning. In addition to his scholarly work, he provides leadership in curriculum development, ABET-aligned assessment, and industry engagement to prepare engineering graduates for meaningful and impactful professional practice.

Education

  • PhD Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (2016)
  • MPhil Production Engineering (Manufacturing Technology), Moi University, Kenya (2006)
  • BTech Mechanical & Production Engineering, Moi University, Kenya (2002)

Publications

  • Assessing the Impact of the Use of Generative AI in Developing and Using Assessment Grading Rubrics for Engineering Courses (2025)
    Omwando, T.A., Alhalawani, A., Kotla, B., and Khandha, A., Assessing the Impact of the Use of Generative AI in Developing and Using Assessment Grading Rubrics for Engineering Courses. In the 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition.
  • “A Bi-Level Fuzzy Decision Support System for Assessing Product Remanufacturability” (2018)
    Omwando T. A., Otieno, W. A., Ross, A., Farahani S. (2018) “A Bi-Level Fuzzy Decision Support System for Assessing Product Remanufacturability,” Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 174, 10, 1534 – 1549.
  • Incorporating an Entrepreneurial Mindset, Bio-Inspired Design, and STEAM Approach to Enhance Learning in a Computer Aided Design and Modeling Class (2024)
    Omwando, T.A., Kotla, B., Alhalawani, A., Bosman, L. and Khandha, A., 2024, June. Incorporating an Entrepreneurial Mindset, Bio-Inspired Design, and STEAM Approach to Enhance Learning in a Computer Aided Design and Modeling Class. In 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition.