Rufaidah AlMaian, who received a doctorate from the University of Arkansas in 2014, received first place at the seventh annual Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM) International Conference in Rabat, Morocco, for her dissertation titled A Strategic Leadership Approach to Effectively Manage Supplier Quality within the Construction Industry.  

Kim Needy, dean of the Graduate School and International Education, was AlMaian's doctoral adviser. "This recognition reflects the high quality and importance of Dr. AlMaian's research in the field of engineering management," said Needy.

The conference, organized by the Society of IEOM, brought together participants from 55 countries as research presenters, industry, special track or keynote speakers. IEOM Society promotes and encourages critical thinking in the field of Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, provides means to communicate and network among people with similar interests through association services, conferences, seminars, workshops, student chapters, professional chapters, journals and certification across the globe, and illustrative research publications to disseminate the earned knowledge and experience.

The doctoral dissertation competition is for students who are currently enrolled in a doctoral program or a recent graduate from a doctoral program. AlMaian was a sponsored student while at the University of Arkansas. She is currently an assistant professor in the Industrial & Management Systems Engineering Department at Kuwait University.