School of Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering

John Kreifeldt Excellence in Human Factors Award

Professor John Kreifeldt
Professor John Kreifeldt

The John Kreifeldt Excellence in Human Factors Award is an annual prize that recognizes graduating students in Human Factors Engineering or Engineering Psychology, who have made outstanding contributions in Human Factors research or design. The award honors Professor Kreifeldt and his legendary contributions to a program that has grown to nearly 100 undergraduate and 50 graduate students enrolled and to a profession that has been shaped by generations of Tufts alumni/ae.

Undergraduate and graduate students are considered separately for the award. Recipients receive an honorarium and are celebrated at the department’s graduation ceremony. Recipients will also receive an acknowledgement on their Tufts University transcripts. The application process provides an opportunity for all graduating students to enhance their online portfolio and biographies.

The deadline to apply is January 24, 2025.

How to Apply

All graduating undergraduate and master’s degree students studying Human Factors or Engineering Psychology are eligible to apply. The online application includes:

  • About You: Your name and a link to your portfolio.
  • Biography: A brief summary of your educational interests and activities during your time at Tufts, including a link to your online portfolio biography page, resume, or LinkedIn.
  • Three Portfolio Projects: Brief summaries for 3 HF research or design projects, including links for each project's online portfolio page.

Apply for the award!

Review Criteria

We will assess your submission through a comprehensive review of your biography, online portfolio, and three portfolio projects. We are looking for a compelling story about you and your work. For each project, we want to know:

  • Process: How did you use human factors, user-centered design, and design thinking principles and practices? 
  • Research: What research methods did you employ, and how did they influence your decision-making?
  • Design or HF outcome: What were the final designs or research outcomes? How did your design or ideas evolve during the project? 
  • Innovation or impact: What was innovative or impactful about this project?

For your biography, we are interested in:

  • Tufts HF activities: How have you been involved with HF research, community, and other activities at Tufts?
  • Other HF engagement:  What other HF work have you done outside of Tufts (community, internships, volunteering, etc.)? 

About Professor Kreifeldt and Human Factors

Professor John Kreifeldt, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Professor Phil Sampson, Department of Psychology, created one of the first interdisciplinary programs in the country for what is now Human Factors. Professor Kreifeldt’s 30-year legacy at Tufts yielded generations of dedicated Human Factors and User Experience professionals, who have contributed to improving lives, products, systems, and processes. A major advocate of learning-by-doing, Professor Kreifeldt developed numerous product design courses at Tufts and worked tirelessly to identify and shape capstone projects for hundreds of students.

Make your contribution to the John Kreifeldt Excellence in Human Factors Award.

Learn more about Professor Kreifeldt, our Human Factors programs, and our student Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Questions? 

Please contact the award committee at KreifeldtAward@tufts.edu.