Muhammad El-Taha, PhD

Muhammad El-Taha, Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, joined the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Southern Maine as an assistant professor in 1987, promoted to Associate Professor in 1993, and to Full Professor in 1998. 

Professor El-Taha is an active scholar with national and international reputation. He is the author and coauthor of numerous research articles published in highly visible, peer reviewed international journals. His research interests are broad and cover a wide spectrum of interests that vary from the theoretical to the applied. Professor El-Taha’s primary area of scholarship is modeling and analysis of stochastic systems, with emphasis on queueing networks and their applications to computer and communications systems. His research is widely cited and recognized in his field. The wide applicability of his research laps into his teaching, where he constructs a variety of class projects for his students.

Professor El-Taha is a primary national expert of an approach in queueing theory known as Sample-Path Analysis.  Sample-path analysis uses a deterministic approach to analyze stochastic systems, primarily queueing and more general input output system. Professor El-Taha’s early research focused on sample-path analysis which culminated in his book, “Sample-Path Analysis of Queueing Systems” (co-authored with S. Stidham). The book was awarded the “1999 Best Publication Award” by the Applied Probability section of INFORMS (the Institute of Operations Research and Management Science). “The award recognizes the most outstanding contribution to the field of Applied Probability published during 1997-1998″.   Since then this book has been widely used in postgraduate queueing courses as a text and a reference book.

Professor El-Taha’s authored and co-authored research articles have appeared in reputable journals.  This includes Management Science, Stochastic Models, Queueing Systems: Theory and Applications, Performance Evaluation, Theoretical Computer Science, Computers and Operations Research, European Journal of Operations Research (EJOR), Discrete Event Dynamic Systems, Operations Research Letters, Journal of Applied Mathematics and Stochastic Analysis, Statistical Planning and Inference, Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, among others.

Professor El-Taha was also involved in Biostatistical consulting and research in a joint effort with researchers at CORRONA (The Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America), NYU Medical Center/Hospital for Joint Diseases, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and University of Massachusetts Medical School to study Rheumatoid arthritis, its effects on human body and effective treatments. This effort has generated several abstracts in refereed proceedings published by two reputable journals in the field: Annals of rheumatic diseases and Arthritis and Rheumatism. Professor El-Taha also has multiple technical reports on research and consulting related to Rheumatoid Arthritis, and additional abstracts that appeared in EULAR (The European League against Rheumatism) and ACR (American College of Rheumatology) conferences.

Professor El-Taha previously served as Department chair and the Director of the Graduate Program in Statistics.  He also served on the Graduate Council.  Professor El-Taha regularly teaches upper and graduate level Applied Mathematics and Operations Research courses.  He also taught Management Science and Business Analytics, and Data analytics for the School of Business, and Computer Simulation and Computer Performance Modeling for the Computer Science Department.