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Armen Zakarian serves as the Interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science and is a Professor in the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering Department at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Yerevan Polytechnic University in Armenia, an M.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Iowa, earned in 1997. 

Dr. Zakarian’s research focuses on the development of integrated products and systems, systems engineering and architecting, and digital manufacturing. He has published extensively in journals and conference proceedings affiliated with leading professional organizations, including IISE, ASME, IEEE, SAE, and INCOSE. His research has been supported by a range of federal and industry sponsors, including the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, AT&T, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Visteon, and TRW. 

Recognized for his contributions, Dr. Zakarian received the 2003 Best Paper Award at the Annual International Conference on Systems Engineering and was honored by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, being named a Laureate and Finalist in the Computerworld Honors Program for developing the Virtual Learning Tool software. A senior member of IISE and member of IEEE and INCOSE, he has authored over forty publications and served as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on research projects totaling over $19 million in external funding.

From 2021 to 2025, Dr. Zakarian served as Vice Provost for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies at ÂÜÀòÉç-Dearborn, where he led a period of significant research growth. Under his leadership, externally funded research spending nearly tripled, helping the university achieve its first-ever R2 research classification by the Carnegie Foundation.

From 2009 to 2023, he served as Chair of the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering Department, where he led the department through two successful ABET accreditation visits for its undergraduate programs. Under his leadership, the department experienced significant growth in research activity and student enrollment, and introduced several new academic offerings, including undergraduate and graduate programs in Human-Centered Design and a Rackham-affiliated Ph.D. program in Industrial and Systems Engineering.

Ph.D., Industrial Engineering, The University of Iowa, 1997

M.S., Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Southern California, 1993

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Yerevan Polytechnic University, 1990