Profile of James Intriligator

PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE IN HUMAN FACTORS ENGINEERING AND DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC INNOVATION (MECHANICAL ENGINEERING)

Holding up a standard toothbrush, the unassuming claim-to-fame of the Tufts engineering program and developed by a former human factors professor and researcher, Professor of the Practice James Intriligator passionately describes the ingenuity of the essential hygiene product. The Reach® toothbrush, with its recognizably bent head, angled brushes, and thumb grip, represents the thoughtful integration of many human factors principles at the intersection of understanding physical, cognitive, and emotional constraints in the engineering and product design processes. From phone keypad layouts that maximize human cognition, to an intimate understanding of emotionality in human-robot interactions, Professor Intriligator encapsulates the collaboration and curiosity-driven work of human factors engineering as “trying to get students to think out of the box because there’s an infinite number of boxes. The design process is really gliding through this infinite space to try and find the right constraints and solutions to design awesome products for humans.”

Throughout his academic and professional careers, Professor Intriligator has enthusiastically chased his intellectual passions and personal curiosities. As an undergraduate, he navigated between the fields of electrical engineering, computer science, math, and philosophy before ultimately discovering his interest in neuroscience. Later pursuing his PhD in cognitive neuroscience, with a specific focus in visual perception psychology, he found himself energized by the limitless potential for collaborating with others and subsequently took on positions across both academic and industry settings. Engaging meaningfully with a range of projects is important to Intriligator because “being curious about all sorts of topics across domains is something that [he] finds great energy in—[he] finds enjoyment in being interdisciplinarily curious.” From studying transcranial magnetic stimulation and ocular movements, to internet company think tanks and various business ventures such as developing Europe’s leading consumer psychology and business program, it’s easy to see how he puts this curiosity into practice. Now as the program director for human factors engineering at Tufts, Professor Intriligator utilizes his unique background and wealth of diverse experiences to empower the engineers of tomorrow. He is energized about shaping emerging human factors engineers who “combine the analytical thinking of an engineer with the empathetic thinking of psychologists and sociologists and the creativity of a designer.” It is the convergence of these skills that he believes will position students to maintain an essential role in emerging technologies.

Professor Intriligator sitting in front of a wall.

By nature, human factors engineering is a constantly evolving science, and Professor Intriligator is motivated to push the field towards what he calls “Human Factors X,” or the integration of emotional constraints in the design and engineering process. Through a series of captivating courses such as Human Factors Product Design, Engineering Psychology, and Consumer Psychology, Professor Intriligator challenges students to engage directly with communities and prioritize social enterprise, social justice, and engineering for social good. During his two-year appointment as a Tisch College Faculty Fellow, Professor Intriligator proposed research to facilitate students working with local groups to design experiences and services because he “tries to get students working on real projects.” Currently, students in his Human Factors for Product Design course are actively developing projects such as designing websites for Boston-based charities, a novel mobile app for a toy company based in Wales, and reminiscent memory therapy booths.

Outside of the School of Engineering, Professor Intriligator has consistently marveled at the passionate, creative, and socially-conscious student body at Tufts which has enriched his experience as a faculty member. Serving on the board of the Experimental College and collaboratively developing courses on topics like the future of self-driving cars, he appreciates that Jumbos are willing to move outside their comfort zones. As a whole, he shares, “Tufts students are smart, exploratory, and socially motivated. They have passions and are willing to put time, energy, and resources into following those ambitions. These aspects of Tufts students make it a wonderful place to be”

Importantly, Professor Intriligator is committed to maintaining an open and accessible space for students to chat about their ambitions, career goals, and research involvement. Committed to ensuring Tufts students thrive both personally and academically, and reflecting on a career driven by genuine curiosity, he implores students “... not to only do what you are told, but to wholeheartedly pursue your own passions and interests.” —JOSH COHEN ’24