Principal Investigator
Dr. Bert Bras
Associate Chair for Administration and Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Manufacturing Related Disciplines Complex (MRDC) 3408, Atlanta, GA 30313
bert.bras@me.gatech.edu
Dr. Bras’ research focus is on environmentally conscious design and manufacturing, design for de- and re-manufacture, activity-based costing and environmental management, and industrial ecology. His primary research question is how to reduce the environmental impact of companies while increasing their competitiveness, that is, how to promote sustainable development. The increasing awareness of environmental issues has challenged engineers to create more environmentally benign products and processes. For example, European take-back mandates and voluntary agreements have forced manufacturers who operate globally to take back their products after use and de-manufacture them for recycling.
One specific research thrust focuses on assessing the total environmental and economic impact of products and processes during their life, and how these tools and technologies can (best) be integrated in engineering and business practice. He is currently working with colleagues in Industrial and Systems Engineering and research engineers in the Manufacturing Research Center’s Environmentally Conscious Design and Manufacturing program on new tools that allow companies to see (real-time) what the economic and environmental impact of their production processes are, analogous to the dashboard of an automobile. Graduate students from Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Management are working with large as well as small and medium-sized Enterprises to model their production facilities.
Dr. Bras is also investigating the role that computer simulation can play in benchmarking and feasibility studies of improved product and process designs. One project sponsored by the National Science Foundation is focused on studying the benefits and limitations of employing virtual reality as well as haptic (force-feedback) tools in prototyping disassembly processes.
He has received funding and donations for his research from the National Science Foundation, the Georgia Research Alliance, the Army Environmental Policy Institute, AT&T, Motorola, Ford, Chrysler, and Interface Flooring Systems, among others.
Graduate Lab Members
Ishit Amin
Masters Student
Georgia Institute of Technology
ishit.amin@gatech.edu
Bryan Watson – Ph.D. Candidate
Georgia Institute of Technology
www.bcwatson.com
bcwatson@gatech.edu
Bryan C. Watson received the B.S. in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, in 2009. After serving 8 years in the United States Submarine Force onboard the USS Louisville and Naval Prototype Training Unit Charleston, he began pursuing a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research explores using biologically inspired design to improve the resilience of Systems of-Systems. In particular, he proposes to focus on deriving heuristics from ecology and natural ecosystems that are inherently complex. His research focuses on what ecosystem network characteristics can and should be applied to Systems of Systems to increase sustainability and resilience.
Francis Fish – PhD Candidate
Georgia Institute of Technology
francis.fish@gatech.edu
Francis Fish is a design optimization engineer who has worked in both the private and public sectors prior to returning to academia. His focus is on design of process and product improvement and development. Francis’ research is often intersectional, laying at the intersection of engineering, design, ethics, and economics. Francis has worked on several research projects through various funding sources both public and private – DARPA, ARL, NSF, NAVSEA, and Ford Motor Company. Francis has received awards and recognition for his research.
Brian Cochran
PhD Candidate
Georgia Institute of Technology
bcochran3@gatech.edu
Completed BSME from Georgia Tech in 2010 and went on to work at Caterpillar Inc. with a primary focus on heavy machinery electrification. Obtained patent for work on compact hybrid CVT transmission (US8784246B2). Transitioned to Newell Brands as a Manufacturing Quality Engineer in 2014 and worked on manufacturing development for Calphalon cookware, Rubbermaid, and Goody beauty products. Returned to Georgia Tech in 2017 to pursue a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. Primary research area is in automation and robotics. Initial research project was leading a team to design, build, and program an autonomous EV charging station for a major automotive company. Current funded research involves programming a system that monitors on-board EV charging cycles. Personal research for Ph.D. involves communication and collaboration within a Heterogeneous Multi-Robot System.
Stephen Johnson
Yosuke Yajima
Masters Student
Georgia Institute of Technology
yyajima@gatech.edu
Undergraduate Lab Members
Sanaya Kriplani
B.S. Candidate in Biology
Georgia Institute of Technology
Work: Validating a Systems-of-Systems Resilience Metric tool using Natural Ecosystem Characteristics
Ashray Chowdhry
B.S. Candidate in Computer Science
Georgia Institute of Technology
ashraychowdhry@gatech.edu
Work: Quantifying Resilience of Systems of Systems. Creating modeling software for resilience calculation. Recently published in the IEEE Systems Journal (2021) as second author for defining and implementing novel resillience metric. He also maintains this website!
Orestis Vratimos
B.S. Candidate in Industrial Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Work: Investigating the impact of Bike Share Systems when analyzed at a city-wide level
Isabella Hernandez
B.S. Candidate in Civil Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Work: Application of Biological Principles to Agent-Based Modelling Systems
Radha Jagwani
B.S. Candidate in Environmental Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Work: Ecological Network Flow Analysis for Resilience
Jesus Pacheco
Danny Lee
High School Lab Members
Mia Jastrzembski
Senior at Johnson Ferry Christian Academy
Work: Biologically Inspired Design Applications
Past Members
Zack Morris
Energy Engineer at CLEAResult
Stephen Malone
Senior Operations Research Analyst at ManTech
Jinghan Chen
Development Intern at 412 Technology
Christopher Mcarthur
Guillaume Migeon