Conversation on Value11/011
What are the critical elements to consider for design to encourage social justice? How do human factors connect with value – in business and society? Dr James Intrilligator has been working on answering those questions ever since he started exploring vision and the brain. Merging neurology with high-tech applications and consumer psychology led to research on next-generation human-machine systems. In this conversation on value, Intrilligator and Maltoni probe the positives and pitfalls of generative AI, applications in the new era of human factors, social robots and the future of healthcare/assistance, and the importance of applied research.
Dr James Intriligator is a Professor of the Practice in Human Factors Engineering and Director of Strategic Innovation in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (School of Engineering) at Tufts University. An interest in vision and the brain originally brought James to Harvard where he earned his Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience (1997). After a postdoc in neurology (Beth Israel Hospital), he left academia for five years and worked in VC companies and high-tech consulting firms as a brainstormer, strategic innovator, and innovation catalyst. In 2003, he merged his business experience with his scientific expertise and went to Bangor University (UK) as a pioneer in the field of consumer psychology. In his 13 years at Bangor, Intriligator created Europe’s leading consumer psychology master’s programs and co-developed several multidisciplinary design programs (Enterprise by Design and Social Enterprise Accelerator). He was named a UK National Teaching Fellow in 2014 (UK’s highest teaching honor).
He joined Tufts University in 2016 to lead the university’s renowned Human Factors Engineering program into its next phase of innovation and growth. In his first five years he grew the masters program from six students to over 30 students, helped capture over $1m in new grants, and increased the undergraduate student population by over 50%. Intriligator holds several patents and is the author of over 50 publications in fields as diverse as neuroscience, neurology, consumer psychology, physics, and literary criticism. Several of his video creations have recently toured Europe. Intriligator’s latest research is primarily in the domain of next-generation human-machine systems. This broad area covers everything from assistive and social robots, to baggage screening systems, to VR systems, to military and medical devices.
In addition to his work within the university, he also works with global organizations as well as local social-enterprise and social-justice groups. Since arriving at Tufts Intriligator has been nominated for a Tufts Distinction Award, shortlisted for Professor of the Year, and won a university-wide Teaching with Technology award.
