Not many engineers specialize in frying chicken in the colonel’s secret herbs and spices or making chalupas at Taco Bell.

But for J. D. Selby-Lucas, a doctoral student in engineering management, the colonel’s secret-recipe chicken and chalupas are part of her research as the university’s first Industry Fellow.

Selby-Lucas is developing models to improve training consistency for Tricon Global Restaurants Inc., which operates Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants worldwide. To do this, she is learning employee training skills from the ground up, such as how to properly fold and cook chalupas and how to time and cook the chicken just right.

She also spends a significant amount of time gathering data at local Tricon restaurants to examine various training procedures.

“Training methods from both engineering and the food service industry should come together to provide the best service and products to customers,” she said.

Selby-Lucas is participating in the Industry Fellows initiative, a new partnership program developed by the College of Engineering and Technology. Under this program, industries provide fellowships to graduate students who in return conduct research on topics of interest to a particular company.

“The program is a great way to use company money to attract top-notch graduate students,” said William Swart, dean of the College of Engineering and Technology. “It’s also a great way to build partnerships with companies that can lead to a broader range of collaborative activities in the future.”

Tricon Global Restaurants, the first company to take advantage of the new program, is covering the cost of Selby-Lucas’s graduate tuition.

Tricon serves more than 150 million people each week in nearly 30,000 restaurants worldwide. In keeping with its mission to become “the defining restaurant company . . . that delights customers and honors employees,” Selby-Lucas was brought in to conduct research on ways to improve performance at Tricon eateries.

Swart said it’s not uncommon for engineers with doctoral degrees to work in corporate America. He, in fact, was once an executive for Burger King.

In addition to his role as dean, Swart likes to take an active role in graduate students’ research and is serving as Selby-Lucas’s adviser.

Born in Norfolk and raised in Chesapeake, Selby-Lucas received a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and operations research from Virginia Tech in 1990 and a master’s in engineering management from Old Dominion in 1993.

Prior to receiving the fellowship, she worked for three years as a consultant in the food service industry. A former project manager for an international management solutions firm, she also has industry experience in distribution services, systems analysis and software model development and deployment.

“J. D. exemplifies the kind of student we are looking for,” said Swart. “She is an exceptional student who has had real-world experience.”

Getting to this phase in her life didn’t come easy. Selby-Lucas remembers working a full-time job while pursuing her master’s degree. “You can’t appreciate the success without the challenges that come with it,” she said.

As a child Selby-Lucas thought she wanted to become a lawyer. But when she was about 10 years old, she said she developed an interest in engineering.

“Engineering is a discipline that is fun and exciting,” she noted. “It’s a way of turning ideas into reality. Being able to understand the applications of what you do in engineering allows you to think and analyze real-life applications and interactions.”

She also believes engineering can help students learn how to think critically, and she is grateful for the opportunity presented by the Industry Fellows program. “This program is creating options for me. It’s allowing me to think outside of the box,” she said.

When Selby-Lucas is not working on her research or studying for a class, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Going on bike rides and reading are hobbies she enjoys.

“Sometimes there isn’t enough time to do all the things that I want. I am happy taking a minute when I can to enjoy nature and its surroundings,” said Selby-Lucas.

Though she hasn’t finalized her career plans, she is considering engineering consulting. “Life is a journey. Where it takes me, I really don’t know,” she said. “Every market or industry has a place for an engineer.”