IDC Seminar by Professor Panos Papalambros and Alex Burnap

23 Nov 2016 3.00 PM to 4.00 PM Lecture Theatre 4, Building 2 Level 4

You are cordially invited to a seminar by Professor Panos Papalambros and Alex Burnap. Register your interest here.

Abstract
In the paradigm of design as a decision-making process we assume that the design preferences of the relevant decision makers —designers, users, customers, managers— are known. Such knowledge is easy to assume but elusive to determine, as it involves people. In this talk we review briefly some past efforts in preference elicitation and modeling, and then focus on the challenge of capturing design preferences in a mathematical predictive model that would allow designers to analyze how design changes may impact customer preferences. For example, recent advances in data-driven methods allow us to crowdsource preferences from a targeted market and identify market segments through data clustering.  We will invite audience members to act as both customers and designers using a web-based tool that combines an interactive visual representation on the front end with scalable preference learning algorithms on the backend.
 
About the Speakers
Panos Y. Papalambros is the James B. Angell Distinguished University Professor, the Donald C. Graham Professor of Engineering, and the founding Chair of the Integrative Systems & Design Division, College of Engineering, University of Michigan.  He is also a Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Architecture; and Art and Design. He holds a diploma in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and MS and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. His research and teaching interests include design science and optimization, with applications to sustainable design of products, automotive systems, such as hybrid and electric vehicles; design of complex engineered systems; and architectural design. He is a past chief editor of the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design and is the founding chief editor of the Design Science journal.
 
Alex Burnap is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Michigan and Visiting Research Scientist at General Motors.  His research interests include data-driven design using crowdsourcing, machine learning, preference elicitation, and design optimization.  He earned his Ph.D. in Design Science with concentrations in Engineering Design and Computer Science, and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and B.S. in Physics from UIUC. He is a member of ASME and Design Society, and Technical Coordinator of the Design Science Journal.