Virginia Tech® home

Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics

COGENT LAB

This area studies human perception and cognition to design effective interactions with technology to promote safety, operational performance, and innovation.

 

Areas of Research

  • Human-Systems Interaction Design & Evaluation
  • Virtual and Augmented Reality
  • Auditory/Acoustical Systems & Hearing Safety
  • Transportation Human-Machine Interfaces
  • Macroerogonomics
  • Human-AI/Robot Teaming

    •  

    Ph.D. Concentrations

    Cognitive Engineering

    This concentration provides interdisplinary training and exposure to the major approaches, methods, and tools to understand the capabilites and limitations of human cognition and their impact on interactive systems design.

    Learn More

     

    Human Factors of Systems & Product Design

    In this concentration, a two-pronged coursework path is designed to instill skill and knowledge in both: a) emperical research supported by human subject experimentation, and b) analytical, modeling, and physical measurement methodologies. 

    Learn More

    What do Cognitive & Systems Engineers Do?

    • Design digitial interfaces for products like apps, websites, interactive experiences.
    • Establish critical systems like those used to manage power plants, the commerical airspace, or large military systems.
    • Ensure products match human's abilities, like ensuring hearing protection works for all types of people in all types of environments.

    Where do Virginia Tech Alumni in this Area Work Today?

    • Human Factors Research Scientiest; Global Center for Automative Performance Simulation
    • Research Scientist; Meta/Facebook
    • UX Team Lead, Huntington Ingalls Industries
    • Senior Product Manager, BluePath Labs
    • User Experience (UX) Research Lead, Intel Experience Group
    • Senior Associate in User Experience Research and Design, Lextant
    • Ground Test Engineer, Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin
    • UX Designer II, Microsoft Mixed Reality, Microsoft
    • Senior UX Researcher, Meta

     

    Faculty Working in this Area

    This area addresses a range of topics and spans in scope from fundamental understanding of underlying injury mechanisms, to applications in risk evaluation, design of controls, and interventions.

    Areas of Research

    • Slips, Trips & Falls
    • Motor Control & Coordination
    • Musculoskeletal Injury Risk Factors
    • Ergonomic Exposure & Risk Assessment
    • Worker Safety and Health
    • Transportation Safety
    • Product and Process Safety

    Ph.D. Concentrations

    Occupational Ergonomics and Safety (OES)

    This concentration is designed to provide interdisciplinary training and exposure to the major methods, tools, and approaches needed to improve occupational safety and health in the U.S. and beyond. 

    Learn More

    What do Occupational Biomechanics & Musculoskeletal Engineers Do?

    Contemporary biomechanics is a multidisciplinary field that combines physical and engineering expertise with knowledge from the biological and medical sciences. There are multiple specialty areas in biomechanics, such as cardiovascular biomechanics, cell biomechanics, human movement biomechanics (in particular orthopedic biomechanics), occupational biomechanics, and sport biomechanics.

    Where do Virginia Tech Alumni in this Area Work Today?

    • Group Lead Neuromuscular Biomechanics,
    • Institute for Biomechanics, ETHZ Zürich
    • Senior Research Scientist, Amazon
    • Ergonomics Consultant, VelocityEHS
    • Wearability Engineer, Meta Research
    • Industrial Engineer, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
    • Director of Product & Design Technology, D-Ford Palo Alto 

    Faculty Working in this Area

    Areas of Research

    • Worker Safety and Health
    • Transportation Safety
    • Product and Process Safety

    Ph.D. Concentrations

    Occupational Ergonomics and Safety (OES)

    This concentration is designed to provide interdisciplinary training and exposure to the major methods, tools, and approaches needed to improve occupational safety and health in the U.S. and beyond. 

    Learn More

    What do Health and Safety Engineers Do?

    Health and safety engineers are responsible for ensuring a safe work environment for all employees and visitors. They design the environments and systems that will keep a workplace as safe as possible to minimize danger and reduce the risk of injuries.

    Where do Virginia Tech Alumni in this Area Work Today?

    • Head of Safety Research, Android Auto at Google
    • Environmental Control Systems Manager, Boeing
    • Senior Director, Quality and Operations, Carilion New River Valley Medical Center
    • Safety Engineer, US Navy

    Faculty Working in this Area