Robust Design, Optimization Methods in Design, Smart Assemblies

Alan R. Parkinson was appointed Dean of the Fulton College of Engineering and Technology in May 2005. Before his appointment as Dean, he served as an associate dean and also as chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department. Dr. Parkinson received his PhD from University of Illinois in 1982 and has taught at BYU since then. His research interests center on methods and software to improve engineering design productivity, with a special emphasis on optimization methods, including optimization algorithms, robust design and large scale optimization.

Other areas of interest include design for manufacture and artificial intelligence applied to engineering design. He is a co-author of a commercial optimization software package, called OptdesX, which has been used at many companies and universities in the United States and Europe. He has been a consultant to many companies regarding applying optimization methods to their products. He recently received the Design Automation Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for his work in robust design and design optimization.