Mervyn Fathianathan
Assistant Professor
Education
- Ph.D., National University of Singapore, 2005
- B.Eng. (Hons), National University of Singapore, 2001
Research Areas and Descriptors
Background
Dr. Fathianathan's background and interests are centered on the design and development of products, devices and systems. Following his Ph.D. dissertation on integrated product and process design, he studied design processes of large enterprises as a Chevening fellow in the U.K. He subsequently co-founded a medical device company that focuses on the use of polymer composites in biomedical applications. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, he led the company from inception to the initiation of the clinical trials of the first product, the only translucent orthodontic arch wire to enter the market.
Research
Dr. Fathianathan's research focuses on engineering design synthesis. Engineering design synthesis refers to the process of realizing a system that serves a function. He is especially interested in understanding and exploring the role of information and computation in design synthesis. He addresses two problems in engineering design synthesis.
The first problem deals with the synthesis of complex engineered systems like airplanes and automobiles. Complex engineered systems involve hundreds or even thousands of people in the design and manufacture of the system. Integrating the tasks of the different engineers and coordinating their decision making processes is a complex endeavor. Dr. Fathianathan's research looks at developing the fundamental principles and computing environments for effective integration and coordination of the tasks performed by engineers in synthesizing complex engineered systems.
The second problem deals with the synthesis of adaptive and reconfigurable systems. Engineered systems today largely have a fixed structure. The structure is often designed to function optimally under certain operating conditions. There is little ability for a system to reconfigure its structure to serve new functions or continue functioning optimally when subjected to hostile environments. Dr. Fathianathan's research looks at how adaptive and reconfigurable systems can be developed. He is developing computational methods for autonomous and dynamic reconfiguration of a system's structure to serve new functions or continue operating optimally when subjected to realize the new configurations.
Distinctions
- Chevening Technology Enterprise Scholarship Fellow, 2004-2005
- National University of Singapore Research Scholarship, 20012004
- Special prize for best technology impact, Intel-UC Berkeley Technology Challenge, 2005
Representative Publications
- F. Mervyn, A. Senthil Kumar, and A. Y. C. Nee. 2006. Fixture Design Information Support for Integrated Product and Process Design. International Journal of Production Research 44(11), 2205-2219.
- F. Mervyn, A. Senthil Kumar, and A. Y. C. Nee. 2005. Automated Synthesis of Modular Fixture Designs Using An Evolutionary Search Algorithm, International Journal of Production Research 43(23), 5047-5070.
- F. Mervyn, A. Senthil Kumar, and A. Y. C. Nee. 2005. An Adaptive Modular Fixture Design System for Integrated Product and Process Design. IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering, August 1-2, Edmonton, Canada.
- F. Mervyn, A. Senthil Kumar, and A. Y. C. Nee. 2004. Design Change Synchronization in a Distributed Environment for Integrated Product and Process Design. Computer-Aided Design and Applications. 1(1-4), 43-53.
- F. Mervyn, A. Senthil Kumar, S. H. Bok and A. Y. C. Nee. 2004. Developing Distributed Applications for Integrated Product and Process Design. Computer Aided Design 36(8), 679-689.
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