SPRING/SUMMER 2026 NEWSLETTER

SMU Corporate Engagement is your connection to SMU for cutting-edge research partnerships, strategic philanthropy, talent acquisition, and continuing and executive education. We connect companies, nonprofits and individuals to SMU faculty, students and staff who are ready to collaborate with business.

Around campus:

Lyle School of Engineering embarks on new programming and research

During the past spring semester, Lyle opened a new laboratory while holding inaugural events attracting hundreds of attendees.

The school’s newest lab, Lyle Autonomous and Applied Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (LAIL), builds on Lyle’s strengths in cyber physical systems and digital twin technologies to drive research and education in intelligent infrastructure. Expanding the work of the school’s Center for Digital and Human-Augmented Manufacturing (CDHAM), Deason Institute for Cybersecurity, and its Hart Institute for Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HITIE), LAIL integrates autonomy, AI, and systems engineering across disciplines. Strategic investment in equipment, space, and programmatic support will position Lyle as a national leader in applied AI, physical AI, and digital engineering. The new laboratory utilizes Quanser QDrone 2 autonomous air vehicles and QBot Platform mobile robots for teaching, research, outreach and student competitions in autonomous vehicle technology.

New events at Lyle drew professionals from across the country this spring. CDHAM held its first Industry Innovation Summit on April 1, showcasing not only the center’s student R&D initiatives but also presentations from representatives ranging from Lockheed Martin to AECOM. The Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity hosted a standing-room-only audience on April 16 for the inaugural Data Center Innovation and Next-Gen Workforce Summit. The event assembled corporate, governmental and academic leaders to discuss the state of the data center industry regionally and nationally and also how students could prepare themselves to enter the field. Finally, Lyle joined Cox School of Business to host over 175 attendees for the first Sentinel Defense Forum on April 21. Speakers from industry and higher education addressed challenges and opportunities in the defense aerospace sector in the U.S. and internationally.

Lyle leadership has also been busy developing new graduate degree programs in digital twin technology and in data engineering while also updating the existing graduate degree program in manufacturing management. These programs will launch this fall. Additionally, short courses in these subject areas have been tailored for engineers looking for educational opportunities to continue their professional journey.

Lyle’s Career Development Center has also been hard at work revamping the school’s industry mentoring program, with both one-on-one meetups between seasoned professionals and undergraduate and graduate students and four-on-one meetups for first-year students and seasoned professionals. The meetups are planned to kick off this fall.

Lyle will celebrate a century of engineering on the Hilltop with special on-campus gatherings this fall, including milestone events aligned with home football games, Homecoming and Family Weekend, and expanded alumni and community programming throughout the fall semester. We invite you to take part – contact Tim Angell at tangell@smu.edu to learn more about everything going on at Lyle this summer and autumn.

New undergraduate specialization in bio-entrepreneurship debuts in fall 2026

Developed in partnership with the University’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Cox School of Business, and Lyle School of Engineering, SMU’s new bio-entrepreneurship undergraduate specialization program will start in the fall semester. The specialization is available for students seeking a B.S. in biological sciences. It provides biology majors entrepreneurial skills to bring applied science to market, navigating intellectual property, entrepreneurial law, medical systems design, venture creation and business strategy in the life sciences sector.

For students considering launching or joining a biotech startup with real business acumen or wanting to stand out to employers in the biomedical, healthcare and consulting industries, the new specialization gives them another set of tools as they start their professional journey. If your company would like to learn more about this new program and potentially support it via curriculum design, guest speakers, internships or philanthropic donations, please contact Tim Angell at tangell@smu.edu and he’ll connect you with the program’s director and staff.

Third annual Human Trafficking Data Conference scheduled for June

Dedman College hosts its 2026 Human Trafficking Data Conference on June 9 and June 10. Started in 2024, the conference assembles regional and national experts in law enforcement, academia, industry, healthcare and the nonprofit sectors to discuss strategies in anti-trafficking, using new innovations in data science to support those sectors. Please let Tim Angell know at tangell@smu.edu if your company can be a corporate supporter for this year’s conference or next year’s event.

AT&T Data Science Scholars Program’s fifth cohort begins in May

In mid-May, nine undergraduate and graduate students will take part in the fifth cohort of the University’s AT&T Data Science Scholars Program (DSSP). Thirty-nine undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. students have completed the program since 2022, receiving their certification in data science. Currently, 12 DSSP graduates are working at AT&T, with other graduates employed at IBM, Lockheed Martin, Amazon, EY, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and other top employers. If your company is considering constructing a talent pipeline in data science or another tech field, please reach out to Tim Angell at tangell@smu.edu; he’ll connect you with SMU faculty and staff ready to develop your own tailored program.

2026 Mustang football tickets available

SMU’s football program begins its third season in the ACC this fall! The 2026 schedule promises to be another successful one as the Mustangs pursue a conference championship, with the opening matchup on the road against Florida State on September 7 and a November 14 Homecoming contest against Wake Forest. Get your season tickets and premium packages now and root on the Mustangs. Pony Up!

Let’s talk.

Best,
Rob Strauss
Senior Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations

Tim Angell
Director for Corporate Engagement

SMU
Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations
P.O. Box 750402
Dallas, TX 75275-0402
www.smu.edu/CorporateEngagement
cfr@smu.edu