Purdue University’s Board of Trustees on Friday (April 5) approved faculty promotions. The following promotions are effective with the 2024-25 academic year.

Assistant Professor Brandon Pitts serves as a RERC Co-PI at Purdue University. Professor Brad Duerstock and Professor Brandon Pitts are part of an alliance with the University of Pittsburgh working for an RERC on Physical Access and Transportation that has been awarded 4.75M for 5 years. The focus of the project is greater inclusivity of airplanes and autonomous and electric vehicles.

Four attendees were: Dr. Brandon Pitts (Lab Director, Assistant Professor in IE), Nade Liang (Ph.D. Candidate), Maya Luster (Ph.D. Student), and Jing Zang (Ph.D. Student). Dr. Pitts won the 2023 Stephanie Binder Young Professional Award and was named Program Chair of the STTG.

Brandon Pitts, Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering, has received the 2023 Stephanie Binder Young Professional Award given by the Surface Transportation Technical Group (STTG) of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES).

Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering, Brandon Pitts, has received the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, which is the NSF’s most prestigious award in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

Nade Liang, Ph.D. candidate, and member of the NHanCE research lab, won first place award for his poster presentation on older adults and shared autonomous vehicles (SAV).

Purdue helps innovate design to be inclusive of people with disabilities.

Pitts co-led a team with Brad Duerstock, a professor of practice in industrial engineering and biomedical engineering, that developed a design concept to make autonomous vehicles accessible to people with disabilities. He generously shared some of his time to answer our questions regarding the project

Duerstock and Brandon Pitts, a Purdue assistant professor of industrial engineering, have worked together for four years on topics related to technology accessibility and inclusive design and have constantly sought opportunities to contribute their ideas to help shape the future of transportation. These ideas are already becoming part of a major national conversation on how to make autonomous transportation more inclusive.

During the week of Oct 10th – Oct 14th, the 66th International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) was held in Atlanta, GA. Ph.D. Students Maya Luster, Nade Liang and Shree Frazier, Ph.D. delivered oral presentations during the conference. Nade Liang and Maya Luster won HFES Student Member with Honors Award.