head-shot-picture-Nicholas-Loyd

 

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Nicholas Loyd, UAH alumni, as a Clinical Assistant Professor to lead our Engineering Management effort. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering as well as a master’s degree in Engineering Management from The University of Alabama in Huntsville, and a Doctoral degree.

Dr. Loyd has vast experience working in the industry, including over 15 years of experience implementing lean production systems, as well as 19 years as a Research Director in production systems and 10 years of experience teaching ISE 324. He is also a certified trainer for the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and MIT’s Lean Advancement Initiative.

He has trained thousands of professionals in various industries in the principles of Lean Enterprise and aided in Lean implementation events. Dr. Loyd has been involved at UAH as an instructor for both the College of Business and the Industrial and Systems Engineering department.

Even with all of his past accomplishments, Dr. Loyd is most proud of being part and contributing to the establishment of the Toyota Mazda FAME program. He is eminently involved in the ISEEM industry, he has been involved in several research projects locally and worldwide, in countries such as Switzerland and Canada.

When asked what inspired him to have a career in the ISEEM industry, he says, even though he always wanted to be veterinarian, to see an animal in pain and suffering was not what he would like to encounter every day. He changed gears and got inspired for a life in the ISE field, after attending a family picnic at his father’s work in his junior and senior years of high school. His father worked in factory manufacturing and Dr. Loyd got to experience through his father, the involvement of ISEEM in the manufacturing world.  

Dr. Nicholas Loyd feels the ISE industry has “changed a lot”, “the roots of ISE based on time study” has changed especially in the area of “the evolution of engineering management” since he first got started in the industry. He says, “There has been a shift in focus from the technical aspects to focus on the people doing the job, the motivational theory”.

He explains the industry focuses on the skills and abilities of the people working with the systems which in return improved the quality of the final output of products and services. He says that by teaching engineers basic people skills, to communicate with others in a way that is teaching others to use the systems instead of telling them how to do it.

He also believes the next phase in the Industrial and Systems Engineering field, is the digital connection phase, the introduction of Artificial Intelligence and the new Industry 4.0, the fourth Industrial Revolution so to speak.

When it comes to the necessary skills and abilities needed for a successful career in Industrial and Systems Engineering field, Dr. Loyd answered, “You need to have a problem-solving mindset, if you have it, you don’t have to memorize the process, and you can just solve the problem. When you learn to do that, everything else you have learned can be used as tools.” He advocates the steps of problem-solving, “Plan, Do, Check, Act”, and if the solution is not favorable, to start over from scratch. He thinks if you have good people skills and the ability to develop other people’s problem-solving skills, it will help you be successful in a career in ISE.

Dr. Loyd’s goal for the Engineering Management effort in the ISEEM department is “To grow it into a program to where it will serve the need of the community of Huntsville, by making it better than it was and creating exciting options for students in ISEEM”. He would like others to know that Engineering Management is a manual or toolbox that gives engineers management skills to make transitions from the technical aspects to the management and skills of people in the workplace.

At the end of every semester, Dr. Nicholas Loyd gives his students a little piece of advice, he tells them two things, “Go through the process, watch the process, and do things that matter. Do the job you love and that makes a difference, do something that matters”.

We look forward to seeing the changes and differences Dr. Loyd will be contributing to the ISEEM department. Welcome to the ISEEM department, Dr. Nicholas Loyd.