Panos Papalambros

Panos Papalambros is a U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) member with a global reputation for his work on the design optimization of products and complex systems and for his leadership in advancing transformative engineering design research and education.

Papalambros graduated from Stanford University and the National Technical University of Athens. He is an emeritus professor at the University of Michigan, holding the titles of James B. Angell Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, Donald C. Graham Professor Emeritus of Engineering, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering, professor emeritus of integrative systems and design, professor emeritus of architecture, and professor emeritus of art and design.

He co-authored the standard textbook Principles of Optimal Design:Modeling and Computation with D.J. Wilde, and has published over 450 articles in journals, conference proceedings, and books.

Papalambros is the founding editor-in-chief of Design Science and past chief editor of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Journal of Mechanical Design. His primary interest is in mathematical design optimization for product development and complex systems design with emphasis on sustainability, including automotive systems, electric and hybrid powertrains, farming systems, modularity, product platforms, and systems of systems—linking design decisions with defense, commercial, and regulatory business and government decision making.

His research in design preference elicitation, including machine learning and crowdsourcing, has linked engineering design models with computer science, marketing, behavioral, and social sciences models for a more holistic, inclusive, and comprehensive quantification of the design optimization process.