In-Depth Look:
Faculty
Faculty
Tufts' professors and teaching faculty are fully invested in their students' success, willing to enrich students' learning experience in any way they can. Many faculty members bring to the classroom years of practical experience in the field of Human Factors Engineering, including areas such as medical device design and usability research.
Full-Time Faculty
James Intriligator | Ph.D., Harvard University
Science & Engineering Complex, Robinson Hall, Room 152
A Professor of the Practice since 2016, Dr. Intriligator is an entrepreneur and leader in the field of consumer psychology. He developed Europe’s leading consumer psychology master’s program. Dr. Intriligator blends his knowledge of consumers, neuroscience, and human behavior to synthesize new ideas and discover new opportunities in the field of Human Factors Engineering. His areas of interest are visual perception, design thinking, and consumer experience. He also does work in robotics, big-data, sound-vision integration, and innovation.
Nathan Ward | Ph.D., University of Utah
490 Boston Avenue, Room 124
An Assistant Professor of Psychology, Dr. Ward is a researcher in the field of information processing and cognition. He is also the principal investigator and founder of Tufts' Applied Cognition Lab. Dr. Ward's focus is in understanding and improving multitasking, by understanding the underlying cognitive mechanisms such as task switching and dual tasking. His areas of interest are multitasking, divided attention, and cognitive interventions.
Daniel Hannon | Ph.D., Brown University
504 Boston Avenue, Room 109
A Professor of the Practice since 2008, Dr. Hannon consults on industry Human Factors Engineering projects in addition to teaching. Working with industry leaders like MIT Lincoln Labs and the FAA, Dr. Hannon helps develop innovations in healthcare, wearable devices, and using interconnected devices to detect more complex situations. His areas of interest are universal design, assistive technology, and transportation systems.
Michael Wiklund | M.S., Tufts University
Science & Engineering Complex, Anderson Hall
A Professor of the Practice since 2012, Michael Wiklund is the founder of Wiklund Research and Design, Inc., which was acquired by Underwriters Laboratories. He now serves as the General Manager of UL-Wiklund, specializing in Human Factors consulting. Professor Wiklund has worked in the field for over 20 years and has authored and/or edited several important textbooks and articles. His areas of interest are research and design, product safety, and medical devices.
Holly Taylor | Ph.D., Stanford University
490 Boston Avenue, Room 315
A Professor of Psychology, Dr. Taylor is a researcher in the field of spatial cognition. She is the principal investigator of the Spatial Cognition Lab and the Co-Director of the Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Dr. Taylor’s work revolves around how sources of information affect mental models. Her areas of interest are navigation, multimedia learning, and the effects of nutrition on cognition.
Chris B. Rogers | Ph.D., Brown University
Science and Engineering Complex, Robinson Hall, Room 153
As the Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department, Dr. Rogers is passionate about robotics and bringing engineering education to younger students. He is the founder of the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach at Tufts University, whose goal is to provide better STEM education and hands-on opportunities for grades K-12. His areas of interest are robotics, instrument design, and fluid turbulence.
Hal Miller-Jacobs | Ph.D., Tufts University
490 Boston Avenue
Hal Miller-Jacobs is a Lecturer in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Human Factors in the Tufts Psychology department. As a usability practitioner with over thirty years experience, Hal loves to transmit this knowledge to developers and user interface specialists, helping them to enhance the user experience of their sites, applications or products. Recently, Hal's new passion is autonomous vehicles and it's impact on society.
Part-Time Faculty
Linda Borghesani | M.S., Tufts University
Science and Engineering Complex, Robinson Hall, Room 150
Professor Borghesani is a senior UX researcher at Constant Contact, helping small and medium businesses effectively use digital marketing tools. Her prior work includes 17 years as a User Experience Strategist at Verizon, improving smartphone user experience and designing new phone technologies that keep pace with expanding user needs. Her areas of interest are User Interface design and usability testing – Innovation and strategy – Testing and Designing new products and services – Competitive and Heuristic evaluations.
David Aurelio | Ph.D., Northeastern University
Science and Engineering Complex, Robinson Hall, Room 150
Professor Aurelio is a Senior User Experience Manager at SolidWorks. He is an expert at developing products and systems that are effective, efficient, and easy to use. He also has years of experience in human-machine system development. His areas of interest are human-machine system development, user experience strategy, and user research.
Jonathan Tilliss | M.S., Northeastern University
Science and Engineering Complex, Robinson Hall, Room 150
Professor Tilliss is the Eastern Region Head of Experience Design at Intrepid Pursuits and has over 10 years of experience in user-centered design. He was previously UL-Wiklund's Design Director and throughout his career, he has designed user interfaces and instructional materials for a wide variety of therapeutic and diagnostic devices, laboratory equipment, and consumer products. He currently co-teaches a web-design course with Christine Pizzo, the Boston Studio Lead at Accenture Interactive.
Mary Stearns | Ph.D., Boston University
Science and Engineering Complex, Robinson Hall, Room 150
Professor Stearns is the former Division Chief and Principal Technical Advisor at the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. She has a broad and deep understanding of issues across transportation modes. She has investigated user responses and technology acceptance under normal, abnormal and emergency conditions and led a program to develop the first generation of driver assist features. She currently co-teaches a transportation/safety analysis class with John Pollard
John Pollard | MBA, Harvard University
Science and Engineering Complex, Robinson Hall, Room 150
Professor Pollard is a senior member of the Surface Transportation Human Factors Division at the Volpe Center, having worked there since 1971. He retired from full-time employment in 2016 but continues working part-time on an “as needed” basis — primarily on experimental hardware issues. He currently co-teaches a transportation/safety analysis class with Mary Stearns.
Max Bischoff | B.S., University of Cincinnati
Science and Engineering Complex, Robinson Hall, Room 150
Professor Bischoff is a senior design and innovation consultant at EPAM Continuum. As a designer, Max has an instinct for developing captivating products through research, ideation, prototyping, and CAD development. He thrives when combining user research and aesthetic form development with the technical aspects of design. He previously co-taught an industrial design course with Eric Bogner, but now teaches the course with Jacquelyn Phelps
Alexandria Trombley | M.S., Tufts University
Science and Engineering Complex, Robinson Hall, Room 150
Professor Trombley is a senior human factors specialist at Emergo by UL. She has worked on a variety of human factors engineering projects with medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies from user research, usability testing, known problems analysis, and use-related risk analysis. She has also presented at the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society's Healthcare symposium and at industry webinars.
Sami Durrani | Ph.D., University of Central Florida
Science and Engineering Complex, Robinson Hall, Room 150
Dr. Durrani is the Head of Human Factors at Eli Lilly and Company and was previously the Senior Manager of Human Factors at Fresenius Medical Care. As an experienced human factors researcher with over a dozen publications. His areas of interest are medical devices, product design, and usability research.
