Ferguson Receives NSF Career Award

Dr. Scott M. Ferguson, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has received a Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation.

The NSF Career Award, one of the highest honors for young faculty in science and engineering, will provide $400,000 in funding over five years to support Ferguson’s research project, “Giving You ‘Almost’ What You Want–Customizing Products Through the Integration of Market Modeling and Engineering Design.”

Ferguson’s project will examine whether improving the integration of preference modeling and engineering design can lead to customized products better suited to respond to different markets and changing needs. The idea is to help American manufacturing enterprises identify markets where giving customers “almost” what they want–through manufacturer personalization and consumer customization–can deliver value to both customer and firm. The project will create opportunities to train current and future engineers.

Ferguson is the founder and head of the System Design Optimization Laboratory. He joined the faculty in 2008 after earning a doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees.