Nimbarte named interim chair of industrial and management systems engineering

Ashish Nimbarte will become interim chair of industrial engineering starting this fall.

Ashish Nimbarte, professor of industrial engineering at West Virginia University, has been named interim chair of the department, effective August 1, 2021.

Story by Adrianne Uphold, Graduate Assistant

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

“I am honored and excited to take on the responsibility of industrial and management systems engineering interim chair,” Nimbarte said. “I look forward to working with my faculty colleagues, staff members, students, and alumni, to set a positive trajectory for the Department for its sustained growth and expansion in the years to come.”

The Benjamin M. Statler College Engineering and Mineral Resources professor received a bachelor’s degree in production engineering from Nagpur University in India, a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Louisiana State University, and a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary program in engineering science from Louisiana State University.

Nimbarte’s research focuses on ergonomics, the study of work laws to identify the most efficient method for carrying out a given task. Ergonomics looks at the industrial processes from a worker’s point of view and tries to enhance the overall process efficiency by matching the various task parameters with the workers’ physical and mental capacities and/or abilities. 

“My ongoing ergonomics research projects deal with various applied topics such as shoulder strain computation using concavity compression mechanism, glove evaluation based on Fitts’ throughput, task rotation to minimize work-related shoulder injuries, occupational driver safety and autonomous driving and modeling of surface electromyography data,” Nimbarte said.

In recent years Nimbarte has development a novel E4 (Ergonomics, Energy, Environment, and Economics) terminology that integrates various topics that complement ergonomics, such as energy efficiency, pollution prevention, Lean implementations, and waste management under one umbrella. His E4 projects are funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the West Virginia Office of Energy. 

Since joining WVU, he has worked on multiple research projects with a total funding of over $9 million as PI and Co-PI.

“Most of the industrial processes are complex and integrate various entities and resources, and therefore a holistic approach based on modern industrial engineering methods and principles is needed to assist the businesses with their overall productivity improvement”, Nimbarte said. “E4 methodology integrates ergonomics with various productivity-related factors to have a true impact on the bottom line in the businesses.” 

A member of the Statler College faculty since 2009, Nimbarte also serves as the graduate program coordinator of the industrial engineering program and assistant director of the Department of Energy funded Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) since 2015. At the IAC, Nimbarte focuses on providing system-based training to graduate and undergraduate students in energy efficiency, sustainability and the overall productivity improvement. He also provides technical assistance to the regional businesses to improve their overall competitiveness. 

“Some of the areas that I would like to focus on during my appointment include development of a structured mentorship program for new faculty members, graduate student recruitment and expansion of department’s research thrusts to address newer industrial engineering research challenges,” Nimbarte said. 

Nimbarte has received the Statler College’s Educator of the Year award in 2021 and the Outstanding Teacher award in 2014 for his commitment to achieving and maintaining excellence in both teaching and mentoring at the College. He also received Statler College’s Outstanding Researcher award in 2020.

“Dr. Nimbarte is a dedicated teacher and an excellent researcher in the Statler College,” said Glen H. Hiner Dean of the Statler College Pedro Mago. "I am excited about his energy and enthusiasm, and I am looking forward to working with him in his new role as he leads our industrial and management systems engineering department forward. I want to thank Dr. Ken Currie for his leadership and service as chair of the Department during the last seven years.”

 

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