Katie Whitefoot
Assistant Professor, Engineering and Public Policy, Mechanical Engineering
Kate S. Whitefoot is an assistant professor in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. She is a member of the NextManufacturing Center for additive manufacturing research and a faculty affiliate at the Carnegie Mellon Scott Institute for Energy Innovation. Prior to her current position, she served as a senior program officer and the Robert A. Pritzker fellow at the National Academy of Engineering, where she directed the Academy’s Manufacturing, Design, and Innovation program.
Whitefoot’s research advances the theoretical foundations and computational modeling of engineering design and technology change in the context of market and regulatory systems to inform product development, manufacturing, and policymaking. Her research bridges methods in engineering design and economics to examine a variety of topics, including product variety and product-line design, transportation energy, environmental policies, consumer choice, and automation and parts consolidation in manufacturing.
Whitefoot has gained recognition nationally and internationally for her research and teaching. Her work is featured in the Washington Post, Popular Mechanics, Bloomberg Business, and Business Insider, and referenced in the 2017-2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy rulemaking. She has worked with several companies, including Boeing, Cummins, Ford, and IBM, and has been invited to present briefings at the White House, Capitol Hill, the Department of Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Improving the Adoption of New Products in the Marketplace
Education
2011 Ph.D., Design Science (mechanical engineering & economics), University of Michigan
2008 MS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
2006 BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
Affiliations
Media mentions
Frontiers of Engineering
Whitefoot selected to participate in NAE’s U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium
MechE/EPP’s Katie Whitefoot has been selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) 25th annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering (USFOE) symposium.
Scott Institute
Eight faculty receive Scott Institute seed grants for energy research
The Scott Institute recently selected awardees from the College of Engineering for its seventh round of seed grants for energy research.
CMU Engineering
Seeding energy research
Three faculty members in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation’s Seed Grants for Energy Research.
CMU Engineering
Entrepreneurship by the numbers
Quantitative Entrepreneurship course offers students a glimpse into how product design and production affect prospects for success in business.
CMU Engineering
Energy Week 2019: What’s next in energy innovation
From March 25 – 28, 2019, the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University will hold CMU Energy Week 2019.
CMU Engineering
How long until efficient fuel cells? Ask the experts.
In the quest for alternatives to gas-powered vehicles, experts believe one new method shows great promise: Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.
Science Magazine
Whitefoot joins group of experts in refuting EPA proposal
MechE/EPP’s Katie Whitefoot recently joined experts from 10 other leading universities and institutions in co-authoring a study challenging the EPA’s 2018 proposal to freeze fuel economy and emissions standards between 2020 and 2025.
CMU Engineering
Lightening the load
Kate Whitefoot and Burak Kara are developing methods allowing manufacturers to redesign multiple parts into one continuous part using 3-D printing.
The Boston Globe
Whitefoot referenced in The Boston Globe
MechE/EPP's Katie Whitefoot was referenced in The Boston Globe for her research in lowering acceleration times in American cars to improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
Earther
Whitefoot and Michalek comment on consequences of EPA lowering fuel economy standards
MechE/EPP’s Katie Whitefoot and Jeremy Michalek spoke with Earther on the potential international effects of EPA administrator Scott Pruitt’s recent announcement that he intends to weaken fuel economy standards.
The Wall Street Journal
Whitefoot cited in The Wall Street Journal
MechE/EPP’s Kate Whitefoot was cited in The Wall Street Journal regarding the size of vehicles in the U.S.
newKerala.com
Whitefoot co-authors paper on fuel-economy & greenhouse gas emission regulations
A study co-authored by MechE/EPP’s Kate Whitefoot was recently published in Environmental Science & Technology. The study analyzes how design trade-offs used by automakers could help vehicles comply with fuel economy and greenhouse-gas emission regulations.