Dr. Ravindra S. Goonetilleke
Prof. ravindra goonetilleke Management Science And Engineering

Contact Information
ravindra.goonetilleke@ku.ac.ae +971 2 312 5031

Biography

Dr. Ravindra Goonetilleke is a Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Prior to joining Khalifa University, Dr. Goonetilleke was a Professor and held a joint appointment in the Division of Integrative Systems and Design and the Department of Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.  After graduation, he worked as a Senior Ergonomist at the Biomechanics Corporation of America. His last appointment in the USA was as a Human Factors Manager and Researcher at the NIKE Sports Research Laboratory.

His research is on Ergonomics and Human Factors Engineering and their applications on Product Design and Human-Computer Interaction.  Dr. Goonetilleke is recognized as a leading researcher on the ergonomics of footwear. With a distinct emphasis on the design and manufacture of footwear he was one of the recipients of the LEAD award (Leadership and Excellence in Application and Development) from SME/CASA (Computer and Automated Systems Association of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers). Dr. Goonetilleke is currently serving as an Editor of the International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics and is a Senior Editor of Ergonomics in Design. He is also on the editorial board of three other ergonomics journals.

Dr. Goonetilleke has served as a consultant and an expert advisor for numerous Ergonomics and Human Factors Engineering and Design projects in multi-national and local organizations such as Dow Corning International, Cooper Power Tools, Exxon-Mobil Corp., General Motors,  Procter and Gamble, Steelcase, Thomson Consumer Electronics, MicroComputer Accessories, Lear Seating Corporation, MTR Corporation, Hong Kong Telecom, Icon MediaLab (Asia), Honeywell, Inc., and Motorola in the USA, China, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Taiwan and Korea. 

Dr. Goonetilleke is a Fellow of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA), a Fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES, USA), and a Fellow of the Hong Kong Ergonomics Society. He was a Fulbright Scholar in the USA.


Education
  • PhD, Human Factors Engineering/Ergonomics, State University of New York at Buffalo, New York (USA), 1990
  • MSAE, Aerospace Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia (USA), 1985
  • MS, (Fulbright Scholar) Industrial Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, New York (USA), 1984
  • BSc (Eng), Mechanical Engineering (First Class Honours), University of Moratuwa (Sri Lanka), 1980

Teaching
  • Design Thinking
  • Human-Centered Design
  • Product Design
  • Human Factors Engineering/Ergonomics


Research
Research Interests
  • Human-Centered Product and Service Design
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Psychophysical Modelling
  • Data Visualization

Research Projects

Data Visualization

Developing innovative human-centric visualizations is of paramount importance in many sectors. With the evolution of more and more information, the long-term implications of human-centric data visualization are enormous to help make intelligent decisions. The information that is captured from sources such as sensors and other equipment are quite rich. In support of this goal, the proposed project will evaluate data representations with respect to people having differing cognitive abilities so that decision-making is faster and subject to less errors while allowing multi-criteria evaluations.  

Multitasking

Although human performance in many different types of tasks have been extensively researched, limited research has been undertaken concerning cognitive and physiological changes associated with multi-tasking. This project includes a network physiology model based on simultaneous recording of brain, heart and breathing activity prior, during and following a complex task. The data will be collected and used to develop a comprehensive model of human performance in multi-tasking situations. 

Compliant Footwear

The objective of this project is to develop a form-fitting and compliant footbed to support the human body to give a unique feel and ride for sandals and high heel shoes without any “bulky” insoles and orthotics.  The rationale for the project is that most footwear have very poor or no support in most areas of the foot, especially the midfoot region, thereby affecting gait and decreasing proprioception. 


Research Staff and Graduate Students:

Students
Hessa Humaid Aljarwan Alshamsi PhD student
Waseem Ifthkikhar Ahmad Ahmad PhD student
Hour Matar Abdullah Mohammed Almadhaani MSc student
Khawla Mohamed Sayyar Hussain Alhosani MSc student
Maha Khalifa Abdulla Barrak Aldhaheri MSc Student
Nishant Bhattarai MSc student