New SIE Faculty Member Brings Human Factors into Systems Engineering Research
The boundaries between industry, politics, technology and economics are shifting and blurring. Big, complex systems – such as large corporations and the military -- must transform continuously if they are to adapt successfully to chaotic global changes in economics, technology and the environment.
Such endless flux requires new ways of thinking to design systems and philosophies that guarantee the continued functioning of these complex entities. Enter Ricardo Valerdi, recently appointed associate professor in the UA department of systems and industrial engineering.
Valerdi is a systems engineer and an expert in the growing field of enterprise transformation and cost estimation. He received his bachelor's in electrical engineering from the University of San Diego in 1999, and his master's in systems architecture and engineering in 2002 from the University of Southern California, where he got his doctorate in industrial and systems engineering in 2005.
The fact that Valerdi is currently enrolled at Harvard, where he's pursuing a master of liberal arts degree in psychology, speaks volumes about this emerging field of engineering. He joins UA Engineering from MIT's System Design and Management program, where he developed a reputation for introducing concepts from psychology into his engineering classes.
Psychology Over Math?
"Engineers do not typically consider the psychological aspects in the design and scope of a project," Valerdi said. "They are trained to understand the math behind their decisions, not human dimensions such as optimism."
These human factors may make engineers nervous, but Valerdi and his fellow researchers in enterprise transformation are in no doubt that the psychological aspects can trump the math when it comes to successfully designing complex systems.
"This is a major leap forward for UA Engineering," said College of Engineering Dean Jeff Goldberg, who is also a systems and industrial engineering faculty member. "Ricardo has stellar corporate and academic experience, and his achievements and unique approaches to tough problems in systems engineering will propel UA to be a significant leader in this emerging area."
Valerdi's research areas include enterprise transformation, human systems integration, systems engineering metrics, cost estimation, testing and evaluation, and performance measurement. His research has been funded by the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and by IBM, Lockheed Martin, and BAE Systems. He is also the founder and co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Enterprise Transformation.