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The Design Decisions
Laboratory develops theories and tools to understand and
assist decision-making in design and product development. The group is
interested in the preferences and economics that drive design tradeoff decisions
as well as the impact of those decisions on public and private
stakeholders. Drawing upon research in economics, econometrics, marketing
and public policy as well as engineering, mathematics and optimization, the
lab pursues three primary thrust areas:
1. Systems
Optimization: Develop fundamental knowledge and new methods
for multidisciplinary design and complex systems optimization;
2. Design
for Market Systems: Measure and predict consumer choice and
firm behavior in the marketplace to optimize engineering systems for
profitability; and
3. Green
Design & Environmental Policy: Study the effects of
economics and public policy on design decisions and the resulting
environmental impact of those decisions.
 Lab
Summary
Top News:
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Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle Study: The group released
its findings (Feb 2009) from a study on the economic and environmental
implications of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles [CMU
press release] [summary of findings]
[policy
brief] [paper].
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Media: The group’s work on
plug-in hybrid electric vehicles was featured in Bloomberg
News, CNN
Money, U.S.
News and World Report, Nippon Nightly News,
MIT
Technology Review, IEEE
Spectrum, Green
Car Congress and a range of other outlets. Inventions from the
mechanical engineering capstone student design exposition were featured
by KDKA
Channel 2, WPXI
Channel 11, and the Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review.
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Article: The November
2008 issue of Mechanical Engineering Magazine featured an article
by J. Michalek on Design for Market Systems.
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Awards: Elizabeth Traut was awarded the NSF Graduate
Research Fellowship.
J. Michalek was awarded the NSF CAREER Award, the Carnegie Mellon Ladd
Research Award, and the ASME Design
Automation Outstanding Young Investigator Award.
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DDWiki: The
lab created wiki for researchers, educators,
students and practitioners to serve as a central resource and community
portal for sharing information about design and tools to analyze and
support decision-making. Visitors are encouraged to add and edit content.
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Applicants: The Design Decisions
Laboratory is seeking graduate and undergraduate
applicants with strong math and programming skills and experience in
design, optimization, economics, environmental policy, and/or product
development. More information is available in the FAQ page.
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