AFFILIATED FACULTY - Click here
CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS AND STAFF
Name	Title	Department  & Degree Sought	Semester Joined	Profile	Email
Anuj Kumar Pradhan	Lab Manager, Research Assistant	Ind. Engr. / Ph.D.	Summer 2001
Lisandra Garay-Vega	Research Assistant	Ind. Engr. / Ph.D
Jeff W. Muttart	Research Assistant	Ind. Engr. / Ph.D
Matthew R. E. Romoser	Research Assistant	Ind. Engr. / Ph.D	Spring 2000
Yan Shen	Research Assistant	Ind. Engr. / M.S.	Fall 2007
Tara Demeyer	Student	Ind. Engr./ M.S.	Spring 2008
Katie Masserang	Student	Psychology/ Ph.D.	Spring 2008
Hasmik K. Mehranian	Student	Ind. Engr. / Ph.D.	Spring 2000
Tracy M. Zafian	Staff, Lab Administrator	--	Spring 2008
FORMER GRADUATE STUDENTS  - Click here

            The graduate program in human factors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been active over the past 20 years.  Most graduates of the program are listed.  All current students are listed as well.  The lists of graduates and current students includes students who have conducted research through the Human Performance Laboratory through various departments, including mechanical and industrial engineering, civil engineering, and psychology.  

CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS AND STAFF          
        
           
    Anuj Kumar Pradhan.  (B.E., Mechanical Engineering, Punjab University, India - 1998).  I am currently enrolled in the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and am working towards my PhD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. I am using the Driving Simulator with an integrated ASL eye-tracker with head-tracking system to study the differences in driving, visual scanning behavior and methods of risk prediction between younger and more experienced drivers. My Areas of interest are Eye Movements, Novice Driver Training, Risk Prediction, Virtual Simulation and Graphics. I can be contacted at apradhan@ecs.umass.edu  Website: http://www.anujpradhan.com

        
    Lisandra Garay-Vega.  (B.S.C.E., University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez - 2002; M.S.C.E. University of Massachusetts-Amherst - 2004). Currently I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with emphasis in Transportation Engineering and Human Factors.  My research interests are in the areas of driver's behavior and performance. In particular, my research focuses in the following areas: Risk Perception & Hazard Anticipation, Evaluation of Traffic Control Devices, Driver Distraction and In-Vehicle Systems. Areas of expertise include: Transportation Safety, Human Factors, Traffic Operations, and Driving Simulation & Virtual Environments. I can be contacted at lisandra@acad.umass.edu.

        
    Hasmik Mehranian.  (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Republic of Armenia).  I am a second year graduate student in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department. My home place is Armenia, a country that celebrates the 1700 years of Christianity this year.  I started my education back home with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Republic of Armenia at Yerevan.  I have seven years of work experience as an engineer - designer.  At UMass I am obtaining a M.S. degree in Industrial Engineering. My area of interest is Human Factors, specifically Usability of Design. Currently, I am working on Logan International Airport Project, testing usability of Alternative Design Format for Logan Terminal Signs. My advisor is Dr. Donald L. Fisher and you can reach me at the Human Performance Lab. My E-mail address is hmehrani@ecs.umass.edu

        
    Jeff Muttart.  (B.A., Economic Decision Making, Eastern Connecticut State University - 1982; M.A., Experimental Psychology, University of Hartford - 2002). I am currently enrolled in the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and am working towards my PhD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research.  My research deals with driver search patterns, driver distraction, driver response times and traffic safety systems (work zones, collision warning and ice sensing systems).  I have authored more than 20 studies regarding driver response times and response choice.  My master's thesis involved developing mathematical algorithms that predict real life driver response times and have been validated using crashes and near crashes that have been captured on traffic safety cameras.  While at the University of Hartford, I received the Graduate Research Award and the Wallace Award for Excellence in Research.  I am also a former patrol officer with the Groton Town Police in Connecticut and an accredited traffic crash reconstructionist.  I can be contacted at jmuttart@engin.umass.edu  Website: http://www.accidentdynamics.com

        
    Matthew R. E. Romoser.  (B.S.E.E., Purdue University - 1995 ; M.S.I.E., Purdue University - 1999)  Currently I am enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and am pursuing a PhD in Industrial Engineering.  I have been involved with the cognitive side of Human Factors Engineering since leaving General Electric in 1998 where I worked as a design and application engineer.  My research interests include computer-assisted instruction, human-computer interface, usability analysis, quality control, engineering management, and the cognitive aspects of human interaction with machines and computers in the workplace.   My current research involves studying mental rotation and spatial reasoning in college students. Ultimately, the results of these experiments will be used to increase the effectiveness of online tutors and courseware designed to teach subjects such as 3-D modeling, dynamic systems design, and tooling layout.  Email: mromoser@ecs.umass.edu   Website: http://www.mattandbeth.com 

        
    Tracy Zafian.  (A.B., Mathematics, Dartmouth College - 1992; M.S., Urban and Regional Planning, University of Wisconsin Madison - 1995; M.S. Transportation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - 2000).  I joined the Human Performance Laboratory in the spring of 2008 and am assisting with lab administration and research projects.  I came to UMass after working for 7 years as a regional transportation planner in western Massachusetts, and have a diverse background in regional and urban planning, transportation planning, and statistical analysis.  My primary interests involve the design of transportation systems, transportation safety, and improving transportation facilities to accommodate drivers and other roadway users, including pedestrians and bicyclists.  I am particularly interested in the transportation needs of older adults.  My thesis research at MIT examined the transportation issues faced by older adults as they age and may need or want to stop driving, including the issues they face with accessing medical services and care.  I can be reached at tzafian@ecs.umass.edu.

        
    Yan Shen.

        
    Tara Demeyer.

        
    Katie Masserang.

AFFILIATED FACULTY, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS

             John Collura.  Professor, Director of the University of Massachusetts Transportation Center.  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.   http://www.ecs.umass.edu/index.pl?id=3908             

            Susan A. Duffy.  Associate Professor, Department of Psychology.  Ph.D., 1982, University of Michigan; Ed.M., Harvard University.  Interests: cognitive psychology, transportation human factors. http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~duffy/  

            Donald L. Fisher.  Professor, Director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Program, Director of the Human Performance Laboratory, Area Coordinator for Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.  Ph.D., 1982, University of Michigan; Ed.M., Harvard University.  Interests: quantitative and computer models of human performance, visual search, visualization, transportation ergonomics, human-computer interaction, learning and training, cumulative trauma disorders of the upper extremities.   http://www.ecs.umass.edu/mie/faculty/fisher.html  

            Patty Freedson.  Professor, Department of Exercise Science.  PhD 1980, U of Michigan.  Interests:  physiological basis of human performance. http://www.umass.edu/cnshp/freedson.html  

            Richard L. Freyman.  Associate Professor, Department of Communications Disorders.  PhD 1984, University of Minnesota.  Interests: sound localization.  http://www.umass.edu/ug_catalog/comdisfaculty.html

            Robert Gao.  Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. Ph.D. 1991, Technical University of Berlin.  Interests: electromechanical systems, assistive technologies. http://www.ecs.umass.edu/mie/faculty/gao.html 

            Joseph Hamill.  Professor, Chair of the Department of Exercise Science.  PhD 1981, University of Oregon.  Interests: biomechanics. http://www.umass.edu/sphhs/exsci/faculty.html 

            Ian Grosse.  Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ph.D. 1987, Virginia Polytechnic and State University.  Interests: finite element analysis, intelligent tutors, visualization and spatial reasoning.   http://www.ecs.umass.edu/mie/faculty/grosse.html 

            Michael A. Knodler, Jr.  Director, UMassSafe Program, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,  Ph.D. University of Massachusetts.  http://www.ecs.umass.edu/index.pl?id=3913

            Alexander Pollatsek.  Professor, Department of Psychology.  Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1969; M.S., Harvard, 1971.  Interests: eye movements, visual search, transportation human factors, visualization. http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~apollats/ 

            Keith Rayner.  Distinguished University Professor, Department of Psychology.  PhD 1974, Cornell.  Interests: eye movements, language comprehension, visualization. http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~rayner/ 

            Donald A. Robinson.  Director, Environmental Health and Safety.   PhD, University of Massachusetts;.  Interests:  safety engineering

            Beverly P. Woolf.  Associate Research Professor, Computer Science Department Director, Center for Knowledge Communication, and Center for Computer-based Instructional Technology.  Interests:  Intelligent tutoring and training, computational strategies in learning and education. http://ccbit.cs.umass.edu/people/bev/

FORMER GRADUATE STUDENTS AND ALUMNI
 

This section is currently under construction and is being updated. 

PhD Students (listed by year of graduation)

Masters Students (listed by year of graduation)

Last Updated May 13, 2008
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