Text: Elin Svilaas, Godt Sagt kommunikasjon
Dr Larry Leifer is the name ever wanted in this field and is appointed to help the transformation and accelerator of Norwegian industries.
– His joining is mainly for R&D collaboration. He is appointed at a part-time basis to help the transformation and acceleration of Norwegian industries to seize the innovation edge, says Dr Yang-Yang Zhao at NISE, HSN.
Creative enthusiast
Dr Leifer is a creative enthusiast, the professor and director of the Center for Design Research at Stanford University. He has been leading the master-level education program global Mechanical Engineering 310 (ME310) – a high-tech, globally distributed graduate course in collaboration with industries.
– We are proud to have him as a Visiting Professor. It is his first time working in Norway, says Dr Zhao.
Project with the Research Council of Norway
Dr Leifer is expected to closely work with NISE, HSN and the NCE Systems Engineering (NCE SE) cluster via a project funded by the Research Council of Norway on Human-centered development of Systems Engineering in Norwegian Engineering industries.
– Dr Leifer will connect the research efforts from Center for Design Research and NISE in response to the industry challenges through learning by doing of customising the design-inspired solutions in the Systems Engineering context; to disseminate the knowledge to education, e.g. course development, and innovation, e.g. new ventures, says Dr Zhao.
Shows that the Kongsberg cluster is attractive
– There are few people in the world that works the way Larry Leifer does, says Leif Næss, Head of the NISE Department. – Dr Leifer is extremely good at creating a nurturing environment for professionals to discover the unexpected. With Leifer as a Visiting Professor, our Industry Master Students and Part-Timers will get inputs from the world´s leading professor in engineering design thinking. His visit also shows that the industry in Kongsberg is attractive. It is an honour to have him here.